What if
by fessst
Summary: Snape never got the chance to become the hateful greasy git we know him to be? What if two people entered his life early on and prevented him from becoming one? A small 6 y.o. child, a spitting image of his school nemesis, and a young beautiful woman, a spitting image of his lost love. Mix of Severitus and Teacher/Student romance. Rated M for adult themes. Warning for parental CP.
1. New beginning

_**A girl dreams about a bad boy, who is gentle only for her.**_  
_**A boy wants a good girl, who is naughty only for him.**_

* * *

Author's note:

The story is set when Harry is 6 years old and it's very AU. After Voldemort got banished, there were long years of trials over Death Eaters and Snape did end up in Azkaban. Now Dumbledore gets him out and forces a teaching position onto him, which Severus absolutely doesn't want, but has little choice in the matter. Meanwhile, the teacher in muggle school Harry attends notices the boy is malnourished, doesn't see well and has occasional bruises on the upper arms and neck. Dumbledore tasks Snape with checking on the kid.

Snape will be OOC. Or rather Snape will be BHBTC - Before He Became The Character. He is slightly younger than in canon - only 25 years old, hot, handsome and naturally dominant (click on the picture and drool with me^^). But also, inexperienced and kinda clueless;) with no experience with children or teaching and very little experience with women and love life. Toughened up by prison, but not the grumpy greasy git we know just yet.

The story will be a **mix of Severitus** (Snape adopts Harry story, imho there is never enough of those, hehe) **and Teacher/Student romance** with adult themes, eventually with elements of D/s and some discipline themes, perhaps light BDSM. (Nothing heavy or too smutty, but the M rating is there for a reason^^) NO SLASH - at least not on the main pairing, sorry I'm keeping Snape hetero again;)

Also warning for parental CP. It will probably be rather mild given Harry's age, but still, if you are not OK with that, It's probably not a story for you.

I have no idea whether mixing these two "genres" will work out, but I guess we will soon find out.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Severus was sitting on the bench examining his fingernails with a bored expression on his face. He couldn't think of a more pointless way to spend his morning, and yet he forced himself to remain sitting and wait patiently for Dursleys to return home. One of the reasons Dumbledore got him out of Azkaban was to check on Potter because Snape was _acquainted _with Petunia. Which made no sense to Severus. Dumbledore was the one to place Potter with that family, so Dumbledore should be the one checking on the brat.

Snape had no pleasant memories of Petunia, and he had no doubt, that she was not fond of him either. He hardly wanted to confront the woman for supposedly mistreating her nephew, just because some muggle teacher was overly softhearted. If the boy couldn't see properly, he should have told so and not wait for somebody to magically figure his problems for him. It's likely that the only reason he was not provided with glasses till now, was because he needed an excuse to slack off in school. Muggle teachers were apparently blind to such acts of deceitful manipulative behavior from children.

Snape groaned at the thought of teaching. That was the main reason Albus got him out of Azkaban. The man was probably getting senile if he thought that Severus was a teacher material. Snape hated children. Ok, perhaps _hate_ is a strong word - Snape disliked children. But like really! The company of little running screaming disrespectful banshies was not high on Snape's list of ideal working conditions. He liked peace and quiet, working with adults. Preferably smart adults. Not that Voldemort only had intelligent people around him, but most were very capable wizards. And those that weren't smart nor powerful were easily manipulated. But children? He was already hating first-years when he was still a student at Hogwarts. And his annoyance with the little buggers only grew with years.

Slughorn was not even that old. Dumbledore probably got rid of him, so that he had another excuse to pressure ministry to let Snape out on parole. Well, Hogwarts did beat Azkaban... but... duh. _Severus Snape - Hogwarts Professor. Laughable. I will go nuts within the first month probably. Or end up back in Azkaban, cause I will kill some braindead urchin, who can't tell the difference between bezoar and borage. _And to be thrown into the school year several weeks after the start and with no time for proper preparation? Albus was simply sadistic. At least he talked him out of making Severus the Head of the House. Snape had to promise him, however, that he will help with those duties.

He stretched his arms sleepily. It was a surprise that he got insomnia AFTER leaving Azkaban. He didn't even spend a full year in that place, but it was enough to throw him off his game. The despair, the hopelessness was so strong in that place, it marked a person for life. Days blurred into weeks and weeks into months. Sometimes he wasn't even sure what time of the day it was - he just tried to sleep and never wake up.

The initial piercing pain in his chest after seeing Lily's dead body lying on the floor was replaced with the ever-present dull ache. He learned to live with it. The trials took forever and when he was finally, despite Dumbledore's efforts, sentenced to 3 years in Azkaban, he welcomed it as a deserved punishment. It helped with the guilt, but it didn't make the pain of Lily's death any lesser. After 10 months of vague day schedule, Severus had a hard time getting back into a normal sleeping pattern.

Snape stood up and started pacing around the bench. He was wearing Muggle clothes - black jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair got longer during his prison-stay, so he usually pinned it in a messy knot in the back of the head. He glanced around and dropped to the grass to do a couple of push-ups. That's pretty much, what his days were filled with, in Azkaban. Wandless magic and physical exercises. The former was a tricky thing to do, due to the antimagic wards, but there were weaker spots where Severus could entertain himself, as long as he didn't draw the attention of the guards or other inmates.

Inmates were the reason why getting in shape was not only a way to pass the time but also a necessity. Death Eaters were not particularly disciplined fellows, at least many of them weren't, and without their _Master_, they easily turned on each other. Since magic was not an option, all the arguments were solved in a very muggle way - with fists. Severus got beat up already his 3rd day by some random brute murderer - not even a servant of the Dark Lord. Since then he started working himself tirelessly every day. It became a routine and it put his mind at ease, much like Occlumency.

Snape did around 30 push-ups when the car parked in front of Privet Drive 4. _Finally_. He sat on the bench again and watched the family get out of the car.

Petunia didn't change all that much since Severus has seen her last time, 10 years ago or so. Tall and skinny, with the ever displeased expression on her face and brown shoulder-length curly hair. Her husband was a big, overweight man in his early-40s with a balding head and mean small eyes. Then the boy got out of the car and with a loud whine stomped his foot on the pavement in what appeared to be an imminent temper tantrum. Petunia was around him in seconds cuddling the boy and taking a treat out of her purse.

Severus was disgusted. This is the malnourished neglected boy? Dumbledore was definitely losing his shit. Snape was about to apparate on the spot when the other door of the car opened and another boy got out of the car. He was half the size of the first boy, small and skinny, wearing a big baggy t-shirt and equally large pair of jeans, round glasses on his face covered big green eyes and black messy hair stuck in all directions.

Alright. Severus had no doubt, that this was, in fact, a spawn of James Potter. The boy was a spitting image of his father, except a much smaller cuter version. Snape snorted inwardly. Word _cute_ was never in his vocabulary before, but if he ever was to use it, he guessed that this little creature was quite fitting for it.

The boy went to the back of the car and opened the trunk. He took two big grocery bags and stumbled to the house, several times almost tripping over his legs as he obviously couldn't see where he was going behind the bags. Snape shook his head disapprovingly. _Stupid boy, why take the biggest bags all at once? Too lazy to go twice? _But the boy soon emerged from the house, got another two bags from the trunk and carried them carefully inside. Well, that was a bit odd, but perhaps those were his chores?

Snape stood up and made his way to the front porch of the house. He knocked politely and waited. The door opened and a pair of emerald eyes stared at him with uncertainty. The boy fidgeted unsure what to do and Snape raised an eyebrow at the lack of decorum. The gesture was apparently not lost on the boy, because he bit his lip nervously.

"Hello, Sir. Are you here to see my aunt or uncle?" the boy asked him politely. Severus studied the boy a bit. No visible bruises, perhaps a bit too small and underweight for his age, but then again, what did Severus really know about what children should look like at the age of six? The boy was wearing glasses, so that problem was solved already, he had some basic manners, so obviously he was not neglected. Severus considered just leaving without confronting Petunia, but that would not sit well with Albus.

"Yes, I'm here to see Mrs. Dursley," he replied impassively.

The boy nodded, "Aunt Petunia?" he called, turning his head. Petunia emerged from the living room and a look of surprise flashed across her face. She blushed slightly, instinctively fixing her hair with a hand.

"How may I help you?" she asked sweetly, smiling at Severus. Snape was taken aback by the friendly demeanor. He didn't expect Petunia to be this sweet blushing housewife. Definitely not towards Severus anyway, but then perhaps she didn't recognize him?

"Hello Petunia," he said without a trace of a smile. He watched confusion cross the woman's features as she narrowed her eyes and then raised her eyebrows apparently finally figuring out his identity.

"Snape?"

Severus didn't answer, he just smirked enjoying the change that underwent on Petunia's face.

"What do you want?" she spat glaring. Gone was the sweet housewife act, replaced with the hatefulness Snape knew so well.

"I'm here on Dumbledore's orders, to check on Potter."

"How nice of you people to show up after dropping the boy on my doorstep 5 years ago with nothing but a sleazy note! I see Dumbledore doesn't have the guts to face me," she snapped, her voice dripping with venom.

"The muggle teacher got concerned about Potter's wellbeing, I'm here merely to assess, whether her concerns are substantiated," Severus replied with a bored expression. He was not going to entertain the shrew by engaging in the conversation about Dumbledore. He had plenty to say about the man himself, but Petunia was the last person he would ever ally himself with.

Petunia demonstratively snorted, "Boy, come here!"

Potter seeing the atmosphere change retreated to the safety of the living room, peeking curiously from the safe distance. At his aunt's stern call, his shoulders slumped and he approached them guiltily, his head hanging in shame as if he was responsible for his aunt's obvious displeasure.

Petunia took the child by the shoulders and roughly spun him around to show Severus that boy had both hands and both legs intact. Her rough manhandling was not lost on Severus, but then again, who was he to judge how one was supposed to treat a surely disobedient 6-year-old. What caught his attention however were two visible bruises on the back of the boy's neck, clearly from oh-not-so-gentle touch, that Petunia was demonstrating right now.

Severus stopped Petunia and lowered the hem of Harry's t-shirt revealing the full bruise, clearly imprinted by the handprints too large to be Petunia's.

"What's this?" he asked calmly. He had no intention to scold the woman for the bruise. He was sure the boy probably brought it on himself and his uncle simply lost his temper and gripped him a bit too hard. He was not going to make a fuss about it, no real harm was done, after all. But nevertheless, he wanted to show Petunia, that he was not going to be manipulated by her clumsy attempts in hiding the evidence.

"He fell," she snapped.

An obvious lie. _S_everus raised an eyebrow as if to say _"Really woman? That's the best you came up with?"_

"Ask him! How did you get the bruise, boy? And don't you dare lie!" she turned her attention to Harry and the boy flinched hunching his shoulders like he was expecting to be hit. He then raised his eyes to meet Snape's gaze and repeated his aunt's lie.

The persuasiveness of the boy's tone threw Severus off balance. He was sure the boy was lying, but the fact that he did it so well was disturbing.

"How?" Snape asked, disgusted with the ease at which a sodding 6-year-old lied to his face, without even blinking. No wonder his uncle lost temper with him if that's the level of wickedness the boy was demonstrating already at such a young age.

"I slipped on the steps and hit the back of my neck against the handrail," the child muttered, finally losing his composure. He cast his eyes on the floor and the telltale blush appeared on his cheeks. _Good, at least the boy has enough decency to feel ashamed for lying blatantly to my face! _Though the fact, that he had an excuse prepared was still rather alarming.

"I see. What a clumsy little boy," Severus sneered at the boy, eliciting a guilty gulp from his target.

"If that's all you came for, Snape, then I suggest you get out of my house at once. Your kind is not welcomed here!" Petunia huffed.

Severus chuckled at the "your kind" comment. Didn't the woman realize, that _his kind_ actually lived with her? Or did she think that Potter will turn out differently just because she didn't want him to be a wizard and all his magical powers will simply disappear because they were not welcomed? The boy must have shown the sparks of accidental magic by now.

"It's always a pleasure to see you too, Petunia," Snape replied without a hint of a smile. He gave a final glance to Potter and lingered when the boy returned his gaze, his eyes full of sadness, misery, and longing. Severus felt uneasy, he couldn't explain the feeling, but he was suddenly reluctant to leave.

Nevertheless, he did what he came for and there was no reason for him to stay any longer. Potter was OK, in one peace and with glasses. Snape turned around and walked away. When he heard the door shut behind him, he apparated.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Severus felt very nostalgic as he walked through the castle corridors. The last time he was here was 8 years ago. Everything felt familiar, homey even, he touched the walls a small smile playing on his lips. He always liked Hogwarts. The place was full of both happy and painful memories.

His moment was ruined by a couple of running boys, that were chasing each other and yelling loudly. Snape resisted the urge to snap at the brats and groaned instead. The castle would be so much better if it was empty...

And then he saw her. She was standing by the door of the DADA classroom talking to some girls and laughing.

_Lily._

But no, it couldn't be Lily, of course. Lily was gone. The girl was a bloody doppelganger though. Her face, her smile even her laughter, so similar. Severus studied the girl, probably 6th or 7th year, Gryffindor of course, a bit shorter than Lily was, her hair fiery red - not natural, must be dyed, her eyes fierce blue, her features slightly sharper, but still the resemblance was striking.

The girl glanced at him and caught his studying gaze. She brushed her hand through her hair nonchalantly and her smile turned playful, even seductive.

"Hey, Handsome! See something you like?" she called out to him.

_Oh, God. _The doppelganger was flirting with him! The ballsy straightforward approach was _so not_ like Lily. Severus was still wearing his muggle clothes and apparently, he was mistaken for a student. He should put the daring girl in her place, tell her he is a Hogwarts Professor and will be treated with respect!

But before he did any of that, the blood rushed to his cheeks and quickly turned away shamefaced. _Yep. Nailed it!_

He heard the girls giggling as he hurried away in embarrassment. _Albus, what the hell did you get me into!_

He made his way to the tower, not stopping for any more sightseeing. God forbid more girls will decide to flirt with him, he was so not prepared for that. And he was here for business, after all. He knocked on the door to Headmaster's office and waited to be invited.

The door opened on its own and he was greeted with a warm familiar smile on Dumbledore's face. "Severus, do come in!"

Snape entered the Headmaster's office feeling nostalgic again. The last time he was here, it was actually for punishment. Slughorn refused to deal with him in his 7th year and kept sending him to Dumbledore for discipline. But of course, the only thing the Headmaster ever did was talk to Severus in an attempt to have the boy open up to him. Obviously Severus never did. Not until it was too late...

But even after everything he did, how many times he proved to be a lost cause, Dumbledore never gave up on him. The man's persistence was almost annoying. Except it was the only thing that kept Severus going. He fidgeted slightly, feeling like he was here to be lectured again, before reminding himself, that he was not a student anymore. He was an employee.

"Lemon drop?" Albus offered the candy, smiling knowingly at the obvious discomfort of the younger man.

_Oh, there are likely to be some lemons dropped in this fic. But not now, and definitely not involving you, Headmaster. _Severus shook his head, just like he did a hundred times before.

"You've seen Harry?"

"I did," he nodded, "The boy is perfectly fine." It was not a lie. Though for some reason, Severus couldn't get the sad look the boy gave him, out of his mind.

"Excellent! I trust you had no trouble with his guardians?"

"I was not exactly welcomed. Petunia is not happy about the way you forced a kid onto her," Snape gave him a pointed look. He was not happy about that either. "But the important part is, that the boy has glasses now and he is not mistreated by them."

"Perfect," Albus said cheerfully, ignoring Snape's admonishing look, "Your private quarters are ready for you. I shall introduce you to the students during dinner tonight."

"I won't be here for dinner, Headmaster. I still have a lot of students' works to go through. I will introduce myself just fine," Severus waved his hand dismissively. He would never dare to give such a disrespectful gesture to Voldemort, but Dumbledore, on the other hand, always relished whenever Snape treated him as equal.

"Of course, of course, Severus. Do you need any help?" Headmaster asked, knowing full well that the younger man will refuse.

As expected, he shook his head and then stood up to leave.

"Severus?"

Snape stopped at the door and turned to face Albus, a solemn expression on his face.

"Welcome back," the man said warmly, "Treat it as a new beginning."

Severus gave him a small smile, that turned into a sad one as he exited the office. _You can't start a new chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one._

* * *

_TBC_

_Happy Easter, guys=)_


	2. Warming up

Author's note: Thanks for the feedback guys=) Ye, I guess "I'm back", though I was only gone for a week, hehe;))

I actually forgot the Disclaimer: so ye, I don't own Harry Potter, if anyone was in doubt;)

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Snape was sitting at the teacher's desk in the classroom, fidgeting nervously and playing with the loose strand of his hair. Any minute now the students will come in and his first ever teaching lesson will begin. They were 7th-year Gryffindor&Ravenclaw N.E.W.T. students, so it should technically be one of the easiest, most pleasant classes he will be teaching. Not only he will be dealing with adults, but also those that managed to pass their O.W.L.s so there should be no braindead people in this class. Hopefully.

Severus went over the students' preparation essays for the potion today, and most were satisfactory. Well some better, some worse, some barely plausible, but also some really good ones. He decided to start the class by giving the students their marked works back so that he also has a chance to remember their names as he calls them.

The doors opened and a couple of Ravenclaws entered the classroom, giving Severus curious looks. Snape felt awkward, was he supposed to smile at them, make himself likable and have them feel at ease? But wasn't that counterproductive in the long run? Did he even want to become friendly with the students? He was already mistaken for one of them the previous day, it's better to draw a clear line.

Snape acquired a stern expression and crossed his arms on the chest, what he hoped was an intimidating authoritative pose. Nevertheless, the Ravenclaw girls seemed quite happy for whatever reason. He was sure he heard the word "_Hot_" coming somewhere from the third row.

The class was filling fast and Snape willed himself to remain calm under students' intense scrutiny. And then..._Fuck!_...the doppelganger entered the classroom. When she noticed Severus, her eyes widened in shock and then she blushed deep red and cast her eyes on the floor. Snape couldn't help the subtle smirk, enjoying the girl's embarrassment. _Now, that's better! _So the _ballsy Lily_ was in N.E.W.T. Potions class... interesting.

"Good morning. My name is Severus Snape and I will be your Potions Professor for the foreseeable future," Snape stood up introducing himself, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. The last thing he needed was to show the teenagers, how nervous he actually was. He scanned the class with a strict gaze before continuing, "This is your final year, I guess I don't have to remind you of the importance of N.E.W.T. exams or the necessity of class preparation. You are not kids anymore so I'll skip that. Anyway, I assume that Head... I mean Professor Dumbledore told you, that you will also be required to work on a personal project of potion design. A want a project proposal by the end of the month. I don't have office hours yet, but my quarters are next door from here, so if you need help, you know where to find me."

The class was in polite silence as he spoke, students listening intently. Severus was happy that everyone seemed to be paying attention. Whether it was because they understood the importance of the year, or because Severus was a new teacher, was not important. Though Snape had a gut feeling, that some of the girls will not remember a word of what he was saying, cause they were too busy undressing him in their minds.

"I will give out your preparation essays now. They were quite ok. I went over all your work this year, there are some issues, but we will address them. So... Terry Ganders?" he called out and the tall Ravenclaw boy stood up and went to fetch his work.

"Rosemary Wolpers?" another Ravenclaw stood up and gave Severus a shy smile as she took her essay.

Snape kept giving out the essays, trying to remember the names and how well did they do, but by the time the fifth student fetched his work, he didn't remember the first one's name already. Perhaps he should just tell them to write the name tags for now.

"Kathryn Riley?" he was about to compliment the work for being very decent when he saw the redhead standing up. So the smartest one among all the Ravenclaws was the Gryffindor? And it was his ballsy Lily, on top. Well, not his... and not Lily. Kathryn. The girl approached him apprehensively, waiting to be reprimanded for her daring comment, no doubt.

He didn't let go of her essay when she grabbed it, catching her gaze he said quietly, "I DID see something I like... right there. Very good work, Miss Riley." Kathryn blushed at the subtle scolding and a compliment aimed only for her ears.

"Thank you, Sir," she said carefully meeting his eyes and giving him a small genuine smile. Snape couldn't help but notice, how charming she looked with the rosy blush on her cheeks and amiable attitude.

The lesson went surprisingly well. Severus questioned the students on the material from the previous years and got some more or less coherent answers. It was soon evident, that Riley was a go-to person, whenever the question seemed too demanding. If she didn't know, then probably nobody did and he should pay more attention to the topic.

When they finally got to potion-making, Snape ignored Kathryn completely, knowing she will do just fine, instead he focused on those whose essays were weaker. During Hogwarts' final year no one worked in pairs anymore, there were fewer people in the class and everyone was responsible for their own potion. Just as he expected, Kathryn delivered one of the best potion samples. He didn't comment on it, the girl already knew she did well, he didn't have to spoil her with unnecessary flattery... although seeing that shy smile would probably be worth it... _Oh, for god's sake, get a grip, Snape! She is a student!_

Snape dismissed the class with such time demanding assignments that he got a couple of groans and glares out of the students. _That's right, suckers. There will be no slacking in MY class. _Severus was sure that next time he sees them, he won't be hearing any inappropriate remarks about his "hotness".

Kathryn remained sitting, taking her sweet time to collect her things. When the last student left, she approached Snape's desk warily.

"Sir? I wanted to apologize for yesterday," she said biting her lip nervously. Snape let the girl fidget, masking his face of any emotion. "I didn't know, you were a Professor. It was totally inappropriate..." she trailed off, clearly hoping he will help her out. Severus held her gaze for a couple of moments, before finally taking pity on her.

"As long, as it doesn't happen again, Miss Riley..." he kept his tone stern, despite feeling an odd mix of satisfaction and excitement.

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't promise that, Sir," she smirked, her attitude suddenly changing from the guilty submissive to a cheeky brat, which totally caught Snape off guard.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked bewildered. But she didn't answer. Instead, she winked at him, giving him a suggestive smile, which only grew wider, when Snape blushed. AGAIN.

The girl left the class giggling, while Severus wanted the floor to just swallow him. It was the second time the girl acted completely inappropriately, and for some reason, Severus reacted like a hormonal teenager to it.

The rest of the day went as well (or as bad) as expected. Snape had 4th-year Hufflepuff&Gryffindor class which had apparently an ongoing prank war between Nymphadora Tonks and Charles Weasley. Neither seemed affected by the fact, that they had a new teacher and somehow, despite Snape's careful watch, both their cauldrons ended up blowing up.

Thankfully it didn't injure anyone, but Snape was furious. His first day and already not one but two explosions! When he found out, that both explosions were intentional, he felt like revising some dark spells from his Death Eater days! Well, Weasley and Tonks did seem quite frightened... till Snape sent them to Dumbledore for punishment. By the relief that appeared on their faces, Severus quickly realized his blunder. Dumbledore's detentions apparently haven't changed over the years, since he has been sent there himself.

Snape entered his private quarters and sunk to the sofa with a groan. Teenagers were driving him crazy. He really wanted to punch somebody, preferably Dumbledore, for forcing the teaching position onto him. If he was still in Azkaban, he would go and pick up a fight, let go of some steam. But since there were no convenient inmates to beat up and thrashing students was frowned upon, Severus opted for an alternative. He undressed down to the waist and dropped on the floor for his usual work out routine. Physical exercise always helped to take the edge off.

After properly exhausting himself he stepped into the shower and let the streams of hot water wash away all the sweat and tension of the day. His mind wandered to the feisty redhead. How cute she looked all blushing and embarrassed. Lily never looked at him this way. He was only ever a friend... and later on not even that. Kathryn, on the other hand, was quite frank in her interest. She was playful, straightforward and just outright daring. Snape will enjoy putting her in her place. He had to, she was a student after all. But there was also something undeniably pleasurable in forcing her into submission. He imagined her on her knees sitting in front of him with her eyes cast on the floor submissively...

_Oh, don't go there! She is a student, a STUDENT!_ But Snape was already hard and his mind was already rolling in steamy scenarios involving the bratty girl. He grabbed his bulging erection and helped himself to the peak. It's been a while since he indulged himself in something like this. Azkaban didn't really inspire people to get excited in this way. He should be ashamed for his thoughts, but surprisingly enough, he wasn't. He was provoked, after all, and he would never really act on it, so what did it matter?

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Snape leaned on the tree, watching through the window a small 6-year-old setting up the dinner table. Severus used obscurity charms to hide his presence from the muggles. He wasn't sure, what made him check on the boy. Dumbledore seemed content with his report, so there was no reason for him to be in Privet Drive again. But somehow Snape just couldn't forget the look the child gave him when he was leaving.

For some reason, the table was set only for 3 people, even though the whole family was at home. Harry was running around the kitchen, setting the table for dinner. The ease with which he was performing the duties suggested he did it quite frequently. When Dursleys emerged in the kitchen, the boy was about to start pouring the tea.

Severus felt like the child was too small to handle the big kettle and was soon proved right when the boy burned his hand with scalding water and with a loud yelp dropped the kettle on the floor.

What happened next both surprised and disconcerted Snape. Instead of treating the wounded hand, Petunia grabbed the boy and shook him violently while screaming something about how wickedly malicious and utterly ungrateful he was. Snape frowned at the scene. True, Potter shouldn't have handled such a big kettle on his own, but surely the boy didn't burn himself on purpose? Petunia then threw the child in some cellar or cupboard under the stairs and locked it from the outside.

That was... harsh. Even by Snape's standards, it was a rather cruel treatment for such a small child. Or any child for that matter. Surprisingly enough, he didn't hear any crying. Did the boy fake the injury? Was Petunia angry because he did it many times before?

The family then ate their meal indulging in common chitchat as if nothing happened. Severus didn't like this one bit. Did Potter eat before or was he denied dinner as a punishment? Since the table was set only for 3 people, he leaned towards the former option.

After an hour or so Dursleys unlocked the cupboard and retired upstairs for the night. However, the door of the cupboard remained closed. Why did Potter stay there? Shouldn't he also be going to bed?

Sure enough, twenty minutes after the house quietened down, the door opened and a black mop of hair appeared peaking through. The boy stealthily tiptoed to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

_Hmm, it looks like he didn't eat after all._ Severus then apparated inside the kitchen, silently cast a couple of privacy spells and took a seat at the table. The boy was so preoccupied with his head in the fridge, he didn't notice that he was not alone in the room anymore.

"Stealing Potter?" Snape hissed, making the child jump in surprise.

"Oh... how? I... uhm... please don't tell my aunt and uncle," the boy stammered, the look of surprise promptly replaced with the sheepish expression of being caught redhanded in the act.

Snape snorted in response. _How eloquent._

"And why shouldn't I? Don't you think they deserve to know, that they share a roof with a liar AND a thief?" He narrowed his eyes admonishingly expecting the boy to get defensive and clarify the situation. However, Potter cast his eyes on the floor and chewed on the lower lip looking incredibly guilty. Did he really fake the injury? But why?

"You do not deny it?"

The boy just shrugged his shoulders, his eyes glued to his shoes. Annoyed at the lack of desired response, Snape tapped the boy's chin firmly forcing him to look up.

"A verbal answer, boy!" he snapped.

"Yes Sir," Harry quickly nodded miserably, his lower lip trembling slightly. Snape mentally kicked himself. He wanted to get the truth out of the child, but instead only managed to scare him.

"Show me your hand," he said, willing his tone to lose the cutting edge. Alarm crossed Harry's features and he showed him his right hand while hiding his left behind his back.

Snape felt annoyed at the obvious attempt to hide the evidence. "The other hand!" he hissed pointing at the hand Harry was hiding. The child then reluctantly produced the other hand, his face twisting in shame.

By Harry's reactions Severus fully expected to see a perfectly fine uninjured hand, but what he saw was a big red angry welt building up into a blister covering most of the boy's palm and wrist.

Severus winced inwardly. That had to be very painful. Yet for some reason, Potter didn't show any sign of discomfort. He took the boy's hand and examined it carefully. It was a nasty burn, no doubt about it.

"Does it hurt?" he asked uncertainly. Severus didn't know many children, but he was pretty sure that such burn would leave any 6-year-old bawling his eyes out.

Harry shook his head in response.

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not," Harry protested, biting his lip again.

Snape studied the boy's face for a second and then simply pressed his thumb against the wound. The reaction was instant. Harry winced from the pain and jerked his hand against Snape's grip, his eyes welling with tears. And Severus would feel bad for the brat, except the boy just lied to his face. Repeatedly!

"Potter, I think we need to make something very clear here. I will not be lied to! Ever! Am I understood?!" he scolded the boy sternly.

By the look of slight confusion on the child's face, Severus realized, that Potter had a whole concept obviously messed up.

"When I tell you not to lie, I mean telling the actual truth, and not the one you think I want to hear. Are we clear?"

Potter fidgeted slightly and then nodded uncertainly in response.

"Then, let's try again. Does it hurt?"

"Yes Sir," the boy admitted, "But only a bit! I will be able to do any work just fine," he added frantically, misinterpreting Snape's ire altogether.

"And what work would that be, Potter?" Snape asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, any that aunt Petunia assigns me to do," Harry muttered, shifting from foot to foot.

"Like what?"

"Watering the flower beds, cutting grass, pulling weeds, hoovering, wiping the floor, washing the dishes, cooking, doing the laundry, ironing, changing the bedsheets," the boy suddenly fell silent, when he saw Snape narrow his eyes, "Well, just anything really," he added tentatively.

"I see." Snape kept his face impassive, he had no doubt the boy was exaggerating. Surely a 6-year-old was not allowed anywhere near the iron.

"Well, since you have so much WORK to do, I guess we better take care of your hand," he said with slight sarcasm. He took out his wand and muttered a couple of healing spells, that should take the pain and blistering away. Unfortunately, he didn't have any salves or potions on him, so the rest will have to heal naturally.

The boy stared at him in shock, examining his hand as if he had never seen it before. "How did you do that?!"

"Just a couple of healing spells, Potter," Severus replied shaking his head. Honestly, it was too easy to impress a child.

Harry furrowed his brows, "Spells?"

"Yes, Potter. Spells, Charms, Magic," Snape sneered in annoyance. Was the brat actually dumb or just pretending?

"That's a bad word," the boy stated firmly.

"A bad word?"

"Magic," he whispered, glancing around as if afraid he might be overheard, "Only freaks use it."

Snape closed his eyes with a groan. _Freaks. _Of course. How could he ever forget Petunia's favorite word. Apparently, the hag DID hope, that Potter's magic abilities will somehow disappear if she forbade him as much as to even say the word.

That's not, how it worked though. You could not make somebody a squib on a whim. And any kid his age would show sparks of accidental magic by now.

"Do you get in trouble for saying the word?"

The boy nodded in response.

"How about performing magic?" he asked carefully.

Harry's eyes widened in fear and he shook his head fiercely, "I don't..."

"What did I just say about lying?!" Severus barked sternly, fixing the child with a glare.

Harry gulped and hung his head in shame, "I don't know why... stuff just happens. I never mean for it to..."

"It's called accidental magic, Potter. All wizarding children experience it," Snape explained matter-of-factly. The boy just stared at him in disbelief. "Wizards and witches, Potter. Not freaks. And you are one of them. And no amount of denial from your aunt or uncle will change it."

Harry didn't look convinced, but it was not important now. What Severus wanted to know, was how far did Dursleys go in suppressing the child's magic.

"So, what happens, when you do accidental magic?" he asked, keeping a strict facade. The boy's shoulders slumped and he looked on the floor shamefaced, which was enough of an answer in itself.

"You get punished?" Severus pressed. The boy nodded without raising his eyes.

"How?"

A shrug.

"Potter, answer me!" Severus snapped, his temper rising. The child flinched and Snape had to remind himself, that it was not really Potter but Dursleys that he was angry with.

"Well, 'M sent to cupboard mostly," Harry muttered, winging his palms nervously.

_And deprived meals. _Snape thought, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Are you hungry?"

Again the fearful look and fierce shaking of the head.

_Right, and that's why I found you with a nose buried in the fridge! _Severus was growing increasingly irritated with the boy's incessant lying. It must have shown on his face because Harry suddenly blushed and bit his lower lip.

"Well, I mean maybe a little..." the boy offered, fidgeting.

"Potter, your aunt and uncle might put up with your constant lying, but I am not going to! Lie to me again and your backside will feel the full extent of my displeasure!" he threatened, pointing a finger at the miscreant child. Of course, he had absolutely no authority to discipline him, but the brat didn't know that. "So I'm going to ask you again, are you hungry?"

Harry nodded his head frantically and Snape had to suppress a chuckle. _Eazy!_

Severus took the leftover stew from the fridge and filled a plate. He cast a basic multiplication spell to refill the bowl up to the original amount and then used a quick heating charm. The boy was watching him with supreme admiration. Apparently, Snape was the first wizard Harry has ever seen, so even such mundane spells triggered unconcealed joy from the boy.

Harry took the spoon and tasted the stew tentatively, but once he made sure that the food is in fact eatable, he dug into it munching with gusto. A small smile spread on Snape's face when he saw the enthusiasm with which the boy ate the stew. _Definitely hungry._

"Sir, will you show me more magic tricks, please?" Harry asked him, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Potter, I'm not a clown! I don't do tricks!" Severus snapped in annoyance, but seeing the pleading look the boy was giving him... _Fine!_

He took the napkin from the table and transformed it into a stuffed bunny toy. Which looked quite pathetic for an accomplished wizard of his stature, so he cast a couple of spells to enlarge the rabbit, change its color to something more befitting of a toy and amend its features to make it look cuter. He finished his creation adding a carrot and showed it to the boy.

Harry looked at the bunny with such longing as if he had never seen a toy before. He touched it carefully as if afraid it will disappear.

"Can I keep it?" he asked wide-eyed when it became apparent the toy was real.

Snape was taken aback by the admiration Potter showed to the stuffed rabbit. He certainly didn't want to reward the kid for all the lying and was ready to undo the spell right there, but watching how gently the boy held the bunny, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"If you promise to be on your best behavior... I better not catch you lying again," he said, eyeing the child sternly.

Harry's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he hugged the bunny fiercely. Snape just shook his head at this disproportionate reaction. _All that for a little toy... _He stood up ready to leave and Potter's joyful face was suddenly overshadowed with sadness.

"Will you come again?" the boy asked him, casting a pleading puppy-eyed look and grabbing Snape's sleeve in his little fist.

_No. Maybe. I don't know. Why should I?_

"Yes Harry, if I have time," Severus replied surprising himself. He patted the boy on the shoulder gently and apparated away.

* * *

_TBC_

_Let me know, what you think=)_


	3. Shit hits the fan

_Author's note: thank you for the positive feedback guys=)_

_According to canon, Snape started teaching at Hogwarts already at 21. In this story, he faced the trial as a Death Eater, which dragged out for 3 years and then got sentenced for another 3, but Dumbledore got him out after 10 months. So now he is 25._

_Warning: Dursleys are not winning "Relatives of the Year" award, and Severus gets a bit darker than we are used to._

_That being said, I'm rather happy how this chapter turned out, so I hope you will enjoy it too^^_

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

"Professor, I need help," Snape turned surprised at being called by Kathryn. He was ignoring her the whole lesson, never once addressing her. He didn't trust himself to act as a teacher and not like blushing schoolboy around her, so he simply avoided her. Kathryn, however, seemed to be discontented with the lack of attention and was boring a hole in him with her intense gaze. But Snape didn't need to be checking on her. She knew the topic for today's potion very well. Her essay was pretty much flawless, so Severus had no doubt, she will deliver a very good sample again.

"What is it, Miss Riley?" he asked calmly as he approached her desk. He could already tell, that she was doing everything correctly by the color and consistency of the potion.

"Uhm..." she fidgeted licking her lips, clearly searching for an excuse why she called him. Severus found himself mildly amused by her lack of composure.

"I'm not sure, whether I should add a little bit of extra Arnica for the potency," she glanced at him uncertainly, checking if he got the bait. He didn't. Snape raised an eyebrow at her and gave her his best _"Seriously?"_ look.

"Miss Riley, I suggest you check your OWN essay to answer that question. You described quite well, what are the consequences of overindulging with Arnica," he replied shaking his head slightly at her poor excuse at playing dumb. Kathryn flushed, realizing her blunder.

"Five points from Gryffindor for wasting my time, Riley," he sneered victoriously, earning himself a glare from half of the classroom. Kathryn blushed a deeper crimson, from both embarrassment and anger.

_Perfect! _Snape smirked with satisfaction at his own power to get back at her. He was sure Riley had rarely points taken from her. The daring girl could certainly benefit from a bit of bullying.

She didn't call him again or really looked at him at all for the rest of the class, clearly smarting from the undeserved point loss. She delivered her sample, lifting her chin in defiance, her face a picture of a sulky teenager. Severus smirked, silently daring her to voice her argument. She didn't. She put the vial on Snape's desk with just enough attitude to show her displeasure, but not enough to earn any repercussions, and stormed out of the classroom. Her potion was of the best again.

Her next essay, however, was full of errors. Snape had to check several times, whether it was, in fact, Kathryn's essay. Why would she make so many stupid mistakes? From what he had seen so far, it was quite unlike her to write such sloppy work. Was this her way of showing defiance or did she actually struggle with this particular potion? It was not unlike even the very best students to make mistakes, they were there to learn after all. It was the amount and level of those mistakes, that made Severus question the legitimacy of the essay.

He decided not to correct it and pretend that her work was flawless as usual. If she follows her own instructions, her potion will be ruined already halfway through. If that happens he will explain her mistakes and let her redo the potion once more. But if she delivered sloppy work on purpose...

...

Severus gave out everyone's essays, stealthily checking Riley's reaction. Was there a tinge of surprise, or did he imagine it? Well, he will know by the end of the lesson for sure.

He walked among the students, correcting minor mistakes, questioning teenagers on various ingredients compatibility and giving subtle hints on how to make the potion better. He approached Kathryn's desk to see her progress. The girl was following her own recipe so far, which was correct. But now she lowered the heat of the cauldron to a simmer and according to her notes should add a teaspoon of Lobalug Venom, except that would ruin the potion, making the cauldron to boil over.

Snape watched the girl carefully, wondering if she was conscious of the fact, that it was a mistake. Kathryn glanced at him and measured a teaspoon from the venom vial. She hesitated as if waiting for Snape to stop her. But he was not going to make it easy for her, instead, Severus grabbed the edge of the cauldron with his hands, leaning on it nonchalantly.

It was an absolute no go. One should never really touch the cauldron, it was one of the basic safety rules. But of course, no one would dare to lecture the Potions Master. If she added the venom now, the potion would boil over burning Snape's hands in the process. He watched Kathryn catch her breath eyeing his hands anxiously.

_She definitely knows what will happen._

"What are you waiting for, Miss Riley?" he prompted, fixing her with a stern no-nonsense gaze, challenging her to continue. Kathryn blanched, her hand still in the air holding a teaspoon. Severus wondered if the girl actually had the balls to purposely injure him just to keep her pretense. Riley bit her lip in indecision, but then lowered the teaspoon back to the table with the look of defeat.

"Just what I thought," Snape said, eliciting a guilty gulp from the redhead. "Stay after class, Riley."

The girl cast him a pleading look, but he only shook his head in disapproval.

Severus didn't pay any attention to Kathryn for the rest of the lesson. He was not surprised when the sample she delivered was still quite decent. She did miss her timing a bit due to Snape's interference but apparently, she decided not to employ any further mistakes, that she wrote in her essay and did the potion correctly.

Riley sat at her desk with a sheepish look on her face and waited for the rest of the class to leave.

Snape continued cataloging the samples, ignoring her for the next 5 minutes. _Let the brat fidget._

Finally, he stood up and walked over to her desk, crossing his arms as he towered over the petite Gryffindor. "Do you take me for an idiot, Riley?" he barked, fixing the girl with an angry glare. She flinched at the tone and lowered her eyes.

"No, Sir," she muttered quietly.

"Speak up," he snapped, his tone laced with dominance. _Not so brave now, huh?_

"No Sir, I don't," Kathryn replied louder, meeting his eyes.

_Hmm, Gryffindor, after all. _There was no defiance there, just meek submission. Severus felt his irritation slowly dissipate. Perhaps she didn't do it out of defiance. Then why? Just to get his attention? A pleasant flutter spread inside his stomach, but he willed himself to remain stern.

"Do you think I can be so easily manipulated?"

"No Sir."

Snape raised an eyebrow at that.

"Well, I mean... you don't know us that well, yet. It's not like I know everything, I can mess up a potion, just like anyone else," she offered, winging her palms nervously.

"That might have been so if you kept your mistakes to a believable level. I don't know if I should be more offended at your attempt to manipulate me, or at your poor performance in executing it," he scolded her, his tone strict, but not cutting anymore.

"I'm sorry, I'll try harder next time," she offered a small cheeky smile. Severus couldn't help chuckling at that. He shouldn't encourage her in that attitude, but he was already infatuated with her spunk, it was hard to put her down when she looked so adorable.

_Adorable? What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Delivering subpar work reflects poorly not only on you, Kathryn, but also on me. You ever submit anything purposely bad again, and you won't like the consequences!" he threatened, adopting a serious look on his face. He had no idea, what exactly those horrible consequences would be, so he hoped the threat itself will do the trick.

"Yes, Sir."

Severus sighed throwing his hands up in the air, "What should I do with you?" It was a rhetorical question, of course, he didn't expect the girl to reply. But she did.

"Punish me," she said, a slight tremble in her voice, but her gaze intense.

Snape felt his heart skip a beat... probably from all the blood that suddenly left his upper body and made its way to his private parts. _FUCK. _Before he completely lost his shit and gave the girl an eyeful of his hard-on, he quickly turned around and sat back behind his desk, throwing one leg over the other. _Damn the little vixen! _Thankfully Kathryn didn't appear to notice anything.

"You will rewrite your essay. I want it done by tomorrow. Your potion was acceptable, I want your paperwork to match it. Additionally, I want a 3-foot essay on the dangers of Lobalug Venom and it's proper use in potion-making," he kept his voice stern, even though his thoughts were all over the place, and inappropriate to boot.

The look of pure disappointment took over Kathryn. Clearly, she hoped for something more exciting than a punishment essay. And how dare she suggest anything like that?!

_Uhm, like what exactly? The fact that your imagination runs wild at the idea of punishing her in all the dirty ways possible, doesn't mean that that is what she suggested, you fool!_

"Dismissed!" he barked, unsure whether he was more irritated with the girl or with himself. Kathryn sent him a sad look and without further ado, walked out of the classroom, leaving Snape to deal with his scattered emotions... and a raging erection.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Severus stretched his hands with a yawn and glanced at the clock. It was half-past ten, and he only now finished going through all the essays and tests. Of course, he didn't have to do them all today, but he liked to have things done sooner rather than later. He was tired, but his insomnia will probably keep him up for at least 5 more hours.

_I guess I could check on the brat. _Potter will be asleep of course, but Snape could apply some of the burn-salve without waking the child. Somehow he doubted that Petunia will pay any attention to the boy's injury since she ignored it immediately after.

Telling Albus that Potter was perfectly fine, turned out to be a bit premature after all. Suppressing the child's magic at a young age was certainly not healthy for the child. To think, that the Boy Who Lived didn't even know he was a wizard, was ridiculous. Severus will have to talk to the hag about that. Potter was a wizard and it was time Dursleys accepted that. But of course, now was too late to show up uninvited, so that conversation will have to wait till tomorrow. For now, he will just treat the boy's hand.

When Severus apparated to Privet Drive, he realized he doesn't even know where is Potter's bedroom. However, he didn't have to search for the boy, because already from the outside he could see the small figure in the kitchen munching on something in the dark.

"Potter, why are you not in bed?" he asked as he entered the kitchen, leveling the boy with a stern glare. Harry dropped the piece of bread he was eating and jumped to his feet with a happy expression on his face.

"Mr. Snape! You are back!" the boy exclaimed and immediately clammed the hands over his mouth, glancing at the staircase fearfully.

"Calm down, I set a silencing charm, you won't wake up anyone. However, I believe I asked you a question!" Snape crossed his arms on the chest and looked at the boy expectantly. He noticed the piece of bread with alarm. Seriously, did they ever feed the boy?

"I... uhm... well..."

"Did you get punished again?" Snape had no patience for the child's blabbering.

"Uh-huh," Harry nodded, dropping his gaze on the floor.

"What did you do this time?" The boy just kept staring on the floor, clearly disinclined to confess his wrongdoings.

Well, it was not important after all. The child was hungry again and a piece of bread was not a decent meal. Severus opened the fridge as if he was at home, and searched through its contents. He took out the cheese, butter, ham, tomatoes, and salad and proceeded to make a couple of rich sandwiches, much to Harry's amazement. He refilled the used contents with a couple of easy spells, to avoid getting the child in trouble.

When he placed the sandwiches in front of Potter, he thought the kid was going to jump at him, but thankfully Harry managed to restrain himself and only thanked him politely.

"How often are you sneaking at night for food?" Severus asked, watching the boy devour the sandwiches hungrily.

There was a slight pause, hunch of shoulders, guilty look.

"Every week?" he asked frowning.

"Uhm..." the boy winged his palms, biting his lip.

"Potter, are you stealing every night?!" Severus barked bewildered. _FUCKERS! I'm gonna hex that shrew into oblivion! He is her bloody nephew for god's sake! How dare she underfeed Lily's child!_

Harry visibly blanched, watching how furious Snape has become. "Not every day! I won't do it again! I promise!"

Severus willed his face to soften. The boy clearly misunderstood his anger.

"You should eat properly during the day so that you won't have to raid the fridge every night!"

Of course, there was a chance, that Potter was simply a picky eater and that's why he stole food at night - so that he could choose, what to eat. But then Severus would have found the child munching on ice cream and not plain bread.

Harry just kept looking at him guiltily, afraid to touch the second sandwich.

"Eat your sandwich, Potter. I'm not going to throw away food."

Snape watched the boy eat patiently, then remembered the reason for his visit. He took out the salve and reached for Harry's left hand, gently examining the leftover marks of the burn. It wasn't too bad, after the salve it should heal by the morning. He applied the cooling substance carefully, checking the boy for any sign of pain. But Harry only eyed him with childish curiosity.

"Are you sated?"

The boy nodded with a smile, as he took his plate and washed it in a sink. He did it with practiced ease, and Severus was sure that it was a common thing for him to do.

"Off to bed with you then."

"Will you show me some magic again?" Harry asked with a pleading look.

"No, it's late and you should be in bed. I'm sure it's way past your bedtime," Snape replied firmly but seeing the sad disappointment that appeared on Harry's face, he relented and cast a bubble charm, which made the room fill with soap bubbles of various shapes and colors.

"Wooooow!" Harry clapped his hands excitedly. He ran around the room jumping to catch and pop various bubbles squealing with delight. Severus didn't even realize, that he was smiling, till he reached for his mouth to clear his throat.

_Well, I guess I understand now, why some people like children. His joy is so pure. _Severus didn't remember when was the last time he himself felt anything of the sort. His whole life was full of hurt, anger, envy, despair... He wondered if it will ever be any different.

The sleeve of Harry's oversized t-shirt rolled up from all the jumping and revealed the nasty dark purple bruise on his upper arm. Severus resisted an urge to curse. Apparently, the one he saw on the neck was not a one-time thing.

"What's that?" he asked Harry pointing at his arm, as he ended the bubble charm. The look of alarm overtook the boy's features, the happy joyful expression vanishing instantly.

"I fell," the child answered defensively and Severus narrowed his eyes. _Here we go again..._

"Potter, what did I say about lying?!" he barked, putting hands on his hips. Harry's eyes widened in fear, both his hands flying to protect his bottom as he backed away from Snape.

_Crap! _The child apparently remembered EXACTLY what Snape said better than he did. _Why did I ever threaten to spank him? _Severus had no intention to act on his threat when making it. But now he pretty much set a trap for himself, leaving him with no other choice. If the boy was ever to take him seriously, he will have to prove that he stood by his words. _Damn._

Snape crooked his finger in a silent gesture for Harry to come. The boy slumped his shoulders and with a guilty look dragged his feet reluctantly to face the angry adult.

The child stood in front of him a picture of pure misery. Snape took the boy's uninjured hand and raised it above his head. Harry shut his eyes tensing as if expecting to be beaten within an inch of his life. Severus felt his resolve leaving him. He landed a firm "smack" (well more like a tap really) to the boy's bottom and released his hand.

Harry looked at him with a shocked expression. Was the boy surprised to be disciplined? Shouldn't there be tears and remorse? Or anger? Or guilt? Or something?! _Did I do it wrong? _Severus was confused.

"I am very angry that you lied to me again!" Snape decided to clarify.

And there it was - guilt and remorse immediately appeared on the boy's face. The child threw his hands around Snape's torso, burying nose into his robes.

"I'm sorry! Please don't be mad!" Harry apologized, hugging Severus tightly. Snape was taken aback by this reaction. He barely knew the kid and yet for some reason, Potter seemed quite attached to him already. He awkwardly patted the boy's back and Harry let go of his robes.

"Sorry," he muttered, staring on the floor again, probably embarrassed for appearing clingy. Severus crouched down on the child's level and looked him in the eyes while holding his hands gently.

"It's quite alright. But I still want you to tell me, what happened. Truth this time," he prompted, willing his tone to be softer.

"Uncle Vernon was angry with me," Harry said, meeting his eyes reluctantly. The boy was clearly ashamed for whatever he did, which made his uncle manhandle him this way. Severus having his suspicions confirmed, decided not to question the boy on the uncomfortable topic any further.

He will be having a very SERIOUS discussion with BOTH Dursleys tomorrow. That much was sure.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Snape decided to confront the Dursleys first before going to Dumbledore. The old man might not exactly approve of Snape's extortion technics. But it did not matter, Severus will do whatever he thought best and then deal with Headmaster. As soon as the last class of the day has ended, Snape apparated to Privet Drive.

He quickened his steps when he heard angry shouting coming from the house.

"NO, IT'S MINE!" he heard Harry's angry yell.

Snape hesitated at the door listening.

"Stolen, no doubt!" came the scathing reply and then a ripping sound.

"NOO!"

**BOOM!**

All the windows shattered with an overwhelming force of magical outburst. Snape rushed inside the living room just in time to see the child fly into the wall from the resounding blow that Dursley landed on his face. The boy clutched his cheek painfully, curling into a ball as if expecting more.

Snape saw red. Without giving it a second thought he cursed Dursley's hands transforming them into deadly snakes. The fat man looked at his hands, his face twisting with horror. He dropped on the floor trying to crawl away from the venomous creatures. He let out a piercing cry as one snake bit him in the chest, while the other quickly circled around his neck cutting off the air intake, making his yells quieten down to barely audible rasps.

Petunia screamed in terror, backing away from the very livid Snape.

"Is that how you treat your nephew, you fucking cunt?!" Severus forwent any sense of propriety, his anger taking the best of him as he approached the woman threateningly, ready to cast an Unforgivable.

"Please no!" she shrieked tripping and falling on the floor.

And then Snape heard a wail. He turned to see, and there was the small fat boy watching the unfolding scene, crying loudly.

Severus immediately came back to his senses. He couldn't go back to Azkaban now. Even if killing these horrible muggles would be worth it, he was not going to scar their kid for life. He dropped his wand ending the curse on Vernon and hurried over to see the damage on Harry.

He merely registered something lying on the floor as he kneeled next to the child.

"Let me see, Harry," he said firmly, taking the child's hand away from his face and revealing an angry red bruise covering the boy's cheek. His lip was broken and a small streak of blood was leaking from the corner of his mouth. Snape cursed loudly, unable to contain himself. He cast an angry glare at the rasping Dursley, not at all happy to see the man was still alive. If he didn't have to take care of Harry, he would definitely revise some of the best torturing dark spells on that fucker.

Severus produced a handkerchief and carefully wiped away the blood from the child's face, as he muttered a couple of incantations checking for fractures. He will have Poppy take a look at him, but for now, it seemed there were no signs of internal bleeding, brain hemorrhage or broken bones. He cast a couple of healing spells to take away the pain and mitigate further bruising.

The boy kept looking on the floor miserably and when Snape followed his gaze, he realized what happened. There was the rabbit toy with its head ripped off. The child's magic bubbled over because of the stupid bunny that Severus gave him.

"He ruined it," Harry whined softly, a tear escaping on his cheek. The boy didn't cry when he was pounded into the wall, and yet shed tears for the ripped toy? Severus felt his heart bleed at that. He took the toy and cast a wandless _Reparo_ on it, handing it back to the child.

Harry hugged the bunny fiercely, his face glowing with joy as if whatever happened before didn't matter anymore. And that was probably even more disturbing, but Severus decided to take things at face value and focus on the more pressing matters.

"Can you stand? Do you feel dizzy?" Severus asked while helping the boy to his feet, checking for further injuries.

"Uh-huh."

"Take your things, we are leaving." There was no way in hell he was gonna leave Harry with these horrible muggles. Dumbledore be damned for ever placing Lily's child here! He frowned when instead of heading upstairs the boy went to the cupboard. Did Harry think they were eloping?

"We won't need provisions, Potter, just go get your stuff," he instructed the boy while examining the damage done to the apartment. He cast a quick repairing spell on windows and cleaned the floor of any mess that was created from the encounter. He glanced at the Dursley, the man got a proper scare, and he was still clutching his throat, but there was no permanent damage done. Yet. Petunia was calming down her child, casting fearful glances in Snape's direction. Good. She should be scared.

"I am," Harry called from the cupboard. Snape went to check what could he possibly want from there and felt his rage reappear when he saw that the cupboard was, in fact, a fucking room. Harry's room.

The boy was folding a couple of oversized t-shirts and a pair of jeans, socks, and underwear in a plastic bag. Everything he had in the room filled the bag only to the half. Harry took the bunny and placed it on top of his things.

Snape had to take a couple of deep breaths in order to calm his temper and avoid doing something rash. He approached Petunia, who was still clutching the crying Dudley in her arms.

"How could you? Lily loved you!" he hissed with disgust.

"No one ever asked me if I want this! The boy brought nothing but trouble!" she replied, her voice dripping with venom.

Severus clenched his fists, his mouth set in a thin angry line. "You know, there is a spell that makes all 206 bones in human body break at once..." he trailed off raising his wand threateningly. Petunia gave a pathetic squeak, covering her head with her hand. Severus just smirked.

He took Harry's hand and walked out of the house. The boy hurried to keep up with his pace dragging the plastic bag on the ground. Severus took the bag from him and Harry tugged at his sleeve.

"Where are we going?"

"To Hogwarts," Severus replied firmly and without any further explanation, he apparated them away.

* * *

_TBC_


	4. Absolutely not

_Author's note: Thank you guys for your kind reviews! I love hearing what you think^^_

_I apologize in advance because I will be traveling away (to Japan, yay), so for a couple of weeks, there might be no update (though I'll probably manage to post one more before going). But on the bright side, for those of you, who like my other story, I already have a layout for a couple of chapters, so I will be picking up that story again=)_

_Hope you like the next chapter._

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

"Potter, kindly detach yourself from my leg and let Madam Pomfrey run a checkup on you!" Snape prompted the child with a firm tone, patting his shoulder lightly. Harry was frightened by all the attention he was suddenly getting from the strangely dressed unknown adults. As soon as they entered the Hospital Wing, Harry was jumped by Albus, Minerva, and Poppy, all at the same time, with loud exclamations. Harry immediately hid behind Severus's leg, clutching his robe for protection.

"Let the kid breathe, for god's sake!" he snapped at Albus and Minerva. He would never dare to address Minerva in such fashion before. Even though Snape's relationship with Albus could not exactly be called equal, the Headmaster was a frequent visitor to Spinner's End while Snape was waiting for his trial. Dumbledore gave him plenty of potions work both for the Hospital Wing and for his own side projects, so Severus was kept quite busy, which helped to take his mind off the impending trial and of Lily's death.

Snape felt more comfortable around Dumbledore than he felt around any other of his new colleagues. Minerva, in particular, because she was his Transfiguration teacher - the one that never cut him any slack and assigned him detentions on par with Black and Potter. Severus always found it to be extremely unfair since he was the victim in all of those situations. Maybe not all, but most. Well, perhaps not even most, but he was certainly outnumbered, so that should have counted for something! And yet McGonagall was always as strict with him as she was with the other two.

Naturally, when Snape joined the teacher's board, he felt very awkward to work alongside her. Often he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from addressing her as Ma'am or Professor. But now he had no such reservations anymore. Minerva, same as Albus, placed the child with the horrible muggles, never even ONCE checking on the boy!

Harry finally unglued himself from Severus's leg and stepped next to him uncertainly, giving everyone an eyeful of his bruised cheek. Albus sported a deep frown and Minerva gasped covering her mouth with her hand while Poppy only shook her head disapprovingly.

"Take a good look at the marvelous care provided by the muggles you entrusted with the Hero of the Wizarding World," Snape didn't try to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. They both deserved it. He immediately felt the intrusion to his mind.

_Not even asking permission! But, that's OK, I want you to fucking see this! _Snape then lowered his Occlumency shields and showed Dumbledore the horrible scene, as well as let him feel the rage that was still running through his veins. He redacted his own reaction since hexing and threatening muggles while on parole could land him in trouble. Not that he believed Dumbledore would turn him in, but still it was safer to omit that part.

If Albus noticed the slight alternation of events, he didn't let it show. Severus was quite capable of obscuring his mind from the Dark Lord, after all, so keeping things from Headmaster was not an impossible task, either.

"How is he?" Severus turned to Poppy, who after sitting the child on the bed, ran several diagnostical spells on him.

"Thankfully nothing serious, just a couple of potions and he will be as good as new," she answered, giving Harry a warm smile. She handed him a vial and Harry glanced at Severus uncertainly.

"Drink, Potter, it will help," he told the boy. Harry smelled the vial and grimaced casting Severus a pleading look. But Snape only raised an eyebrow fully expecting to be obeyed without argument. The child sighed softly and quickly drank the potion, wrinkling his nose with a dramatic "Yuck", eliciting a chuckle from all the adults present.

"He is severely malnourished, though. He will have to be on supplement potions for some time to catch up."

"What shall we do now?" Minerva asked addressing Dumbledore.

"That is, my dear, perhaps better discussed in my chambers," Albus replied, giving Severus a pointed look.

"Potter, stay here with Madam Pomfrey and obey her," he ordered and turned to leave, but Harry immediately jumped from the bed and ran after him catching his robes. Minerva and Albus exchanged an amused look and Severus flushed with embarrassment.

"Potter, do as I say," he barked at the child and fixed him with a stern glare. Harry let go of his robes reluctantly munching on his lower lip and casting him a sad puppy look, at which Severus softened, "Harry, I won't be gone for long. Now, be good, and do as Madam Pomfrey says."

The boy nodded and Severus followed Headmaster to his office.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

"The boy seems quite attached to you, Severus," Minerva said with a smirk.

Albus nodded, a twinkle in his eyes, "Yes, yes, I quite agree."

"Don't even TRY to put your responsibility on me!" Severus snapped irritatedly. As if it wasn't enough, that Dumbledore forced a teaching position onto him. Now he wants to plant a brat on him as well? "Albus! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"But Severus, surely you don't want to stress Harry any more than he already is. You are the only person he knows and, apparently, trusts."

"He has seen me only a couple of times. He will know you or Minerva just as well in 3 days!" Snape argued hotly. How did this happen? The brat just had to cling to him for dear life, giving Albus and Minerva a completely wrong impression. The one where HE, Severus Snape, was a suitable person to take care of a child, and not just any child but the Boy Who Lived! If only he knew...no, of course, he would never leave the kid with those horrible muggles, no matter what. But he certainly didn't want any more responsibility on his plate. Especially a 6-year-old!

"Severus, you will get all the help you need. Perhaps later we can involve the Child Services and look for a suitable family for Harry. But you must agree, that placing Harry in the orphanage now is simply not an option!"

"That might be so, but I don't understand how of all possible people you think a Death Eater that just came out of Azkaban is the best candidate to take care of the Golden Boy!" Snape was beside himself with outrage. Dumbledore had absolutely no sense of propriety! First, he put Harry with the horrible hateful muggles, and now with a convicted Death Eater? The old man was definitely going senile!

"Well, the child would be under the care and protection of Hogwarts, he will just live in your quarters."

"Do not sugarcoat it, Minerva! I understand full well just who will be responsible for the brat, shall he live with me!" Severus spat, glaring at the woman fiercely.

"You will be fine, you already seem to have a way with him," Minerva answered, a subtle amused smile playing on her lips.

"I do not! I have no effing idea what to do with children!" Snape threw his hands in the air, feeling like he is not going to win this argument. Knowing Albus, the whole thing was already long decided and this "discussion" was solely for his benefit, to give him an impression, that he had a say in the matter. His fate was probably sealed the moment Potter clung to his leg.

The fireplace flashed with green fire of a Floo call and Poppy's head appeared in the middle of flames.

"Poppy?" Dumbledore frowned watching how distressed the nurse was.

"Albus! Harry is gone!"

"WHAT?!"

"I only turned around and he..."

Severus didn't wait to hear her explanation, he was out of the door as soon as he heard, that Potter went missing.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

It was not that Harry meant to get lost, it just _kinda sorta happened_. One moment, he was sitting on the bed with the lady in white treating his face, and the other, he was walking out of the room to check on the talking pictures. As Mr. Snape was dragging him through the castle, he saw so many unbelievable things! The talking images on the walls were not just talking, they were addressing HIM! And they knew his name! Then there were the staircases flying sideways, candles floating in the air and he even saw a ghost!

The castle was magical!

But once he walked out, the staircase changed again and he couldn't go back, so he decided to find some other way and then he saw the ghost again... And now he was lost! He didn't know where he was nor how to get back and he was slowly starting to panic. The faces of the talking portraits kept admonishing him for wandering off without an adult and Harry suddenly felt very sorry for himself. Alone, lost, and scared, in a magical castle, he sunk to the ground and hid his face in hands crying softly.

That's were Kathryn found him. She had a Transfiguration class, which was cut short when Professor McGonagall suddenly had to attend to some other business. Kathryn decided to use the time to work on her punishment essay assigned by Snape but soon needed a toilet break. As she approached the girl's bathroom she saw a small child sitting in the hall. He seemed way too small to be attending Hogwarts, and definitely too small to be alone there. By the shaking of his shoulders, she could tell, that he was crying. She went over to see what was going on.

"Hey, little one, what's up?" she asked the boy with a friendly easygoing smile, she often used with the scared first years. The boy looked at her warily, wiping his eyes with his little fists. She noticed a bruise on his cheek, which was likely the reason for those tears. She immediately felt angry at whoever did that to the small child. As the boy brushed through his hair she also noticed something else - a distinctive scar on his forehead. There was only one child, that could be sporting such a scar.

"Hello," the boy answered politely.

"What's your name?" She knew his name, of course, but decided that the boy was probably fed up with being universally recognized, and she didn't want to further stress an already crying child.

"I'm Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry. I'm Kathryn, but YOU can call me Kat," she winked at him, offering her hand for a handshake. Harry took her hand, immediately sobering up in order not to appear like a crybaby in front of an older pretty girl.

"Nice to meet you too, Kat," Harry replied with a shy smile.

"So tell me Harry, who brought you here to Hogwarts?"

"Uhm, Mr. Snape did. I was cleaning the kitchen, and then Dudley took my Snape, and I told him to give it back and he wouldn't. And then my uncle ripped off Snape's head and I got really angry and all the windows kinda blew up and my uncle got really angry too. And then Mr. Snape made his hands into snakes and then he told me to take my things and we teleported here."

Kathryn just stared in disbelief at the boy's rant. She didn't understand any of it, except that it was apparently Snape, who brought the kid here.

"Your uncle ripped off Snape's head?" she asked feeling exceedingly confused, "And then Snape transformed your uncle's hands into snakes?"

"No. My uncle ripped off the head of my bunny! It's a toy that Mr. Snape made for me, so I named it after him," the child explained giggling.

"Oh," Kathryn had to suppress a giggle of her own. She had no idea what connection did the Potions Master have to Potter, but apparently, they were close enough for him to bring Harry to Hogwarts and to give him toys. But a stuffed bunny called Snape? She had a hard time imagining, what such a toy would look like.

"You have to promise, to show me your bunny later," she smiled at him mischievously.

"Ok! It's probably still with the lady in white."

"Madam Pomfrey?"

"Yes, I think, that's her name!"

"Harry, sorry for asking, but I noticed you have a bruise on your cheek. Did Professor Snape do that to you?" Kathryn asked, feeling her stomach give an unpleasant turn. She may have had hots for the guy, but if that was how he treated children, then he was definitely not worth her attention.

"No, that was my uncle. Mr. Snape defended me," Harry answered with a serious expression, watching the girl visibly relax.

"You like Mr. Snape?" she asked him, a warm smile returning to her face.

"Yes, he makes the coolest magic tricks!" the boy exclaimed excitedly, "And he is nice," he added shyly.

Kathryn chuckled at the _magic tricks_. Being a muggle-born herself, she knew the expression well. She could also guess that such a description would probably not sit well with Potions Master.

"I like him too," she said, winking at the boy, "Well, let's go and find him," she offered her hand to the child and made her way to the dungeons.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Severus was running around the castle feeling exceedingly anxious and angry. Of course, Potter will get lost the moment he let him off his sight! And that after he specifically told him to stay put. And they want HIM to take care of the disobedient brat?

_I seem to have a way with him? He blatantly disobeyed pretty much the first thing I told him! _And that assuming, the boy simply wandered off. What if he was taken? What is Dumbledore was right about the blood wards and the moment he took the child away from Privet Drive, he got immediately kidnapped?

Severus was ready to pull his hair in frustration when he spotted them. Riley and Potter walking in the dungeons hand in hand. What is she playing at, getting the child from Hospital Wing and bringing him to the dungeons? No, that didn't make sense. It was more likely that the child got lost and she found him. Once the boy mentioned his name Kathryn probably decided to bring him over to Severus.

Snape told the nearest portrait to inform Albus and Minerva, that he found the brat.

"POTTER!" he barked at the couple approaching them menacingly.

"Mr. Snape!" they boy exclaimed happily and ran over to him. But before the kid flung himself at him, Severus stopped him at the arm's length, examining for any injuries. Seeing that the child was unharmed, Snape resisted a strong urge to land a stinging smack to that disobedient backside. As much as it would be deserving, the kid just got pounded into a wall merely an hour ago.

Snape set his lips into a thin line, "Potter whatever gave you the idea, that disobeying ME was an option?" he said, his tone a low growl.

"Uhm, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to see the talking images," the boy answered sobering up his expression somewhat.

But not enough.

"And that is your excuse for being so blatantly disobedient!?" he raised his voice.

"Oh come on, he didn't mean to get lost," Kathryn tried to lighten up the situation, feeling sorry for the boy.

Severus cast her an admonishing look, "Kindly stay out of it, Riley!"

"Don't be mad at Kat! She helped me!"

Snape only rolled his eyes. The boy was doomed to become a Gryffindor. "I'm not mad at _Kat_. I'm mad at you!"

"You are?" the child looked at him round-eyed.

"Yes. You are absolutely in trouble, young man. Didn't I tell you to stay in Hospital Wing?"

"Uhm..." Harry bit his lower lip and cast his eyes on the floor.

"Well did I?"

"Yes, Sir," Harry agreed miserably, not daring to look at the angry man anymore.

Satisfied that he finally got an admission of guilt from Potter, Snape turned his attention to the redhead, "Miss Riley, where did you find him?"

"He was on the third floor," she said and then added, "Crying." She didn't want to hurt the pride of the little fellow, but seeing how livid Snape was, Harry could use all the help he could get right now.

"Quite a stroll from the Hospital Wing you took, Mr. Potter," Snape scolded the boy, though his tone softened somewhat.

"Harry said, that you brought him to Hogwarts after his uncle uhm.. got physical," she stumbled over the words awkwardly, "So I decided to bring him here."

"Did Potter say anything else?" Snape asked, though watching how uncomfortable the girl became was an answer in itself.

"Well, he said you hexed his uncle's hands into snakes," she admitted, fidgeting slightly. The use of dark magic was not exactly a comfortable topic...or a legal one for that matter.

"Yes, Miss Riley, I would ask you to keep that bit of information to yourself."

"Of course, Sir," she agreed quickly, "I'm sure, he deserved it," she added, glancing at Harry's cheek.

"Well...yes. Anyway, thank you, Miss Riley. You may go now." Kathryn nodded and headed back to the dormitory, stopping as she was passing them. She wanted to tell Severus not to be too hard on the small child, but it would probably only irritate the man, so instead, she gave Harry an encouraging smile and winked at him.

Snape then took Harry's hand and entered his chambers.

"Five points to Gryffindor, Miss Riley," he muttered when he closed the door behind him.

It was actually the first time he awarded points, and it wasn't nearly as unsatisfying as he thought it's going to be. He disliked praising anyone. He rarely felt anyone was even worthy of it. He still felt irritated with the girl for all the inappropriate teasing she did, but he was certainly grateful that Potter was found by her and not by some angry teenage Slytherin, whose parents ended up in Azkaban after Voldemort's fall.

That brought his attention back to the squirming boy in front of him. "What do you have to say for yourself, Potter?" he said sternly, crossing his arms on the chest.

"'M sorry," the boy told the floor.

"You are certainly going to be." With that he took the child's hand and marched him to the corner in the living room, placing his nose firmly between two walls.

"You are going to stand here and think about your bad behavior and how you are never going to repeat it. Understood?"

Harry gave him a quizzical look. Apparently, this form of punishment was not employed by Dursleys. Well, locking the child in the cupboard was obviously easier...

"It's a punishment, Potter. Because I'm very angry with you for disobeying me," he explained just to be sure. Harry's lower lip trembled slightly and he hung his head in shame. Snape almost pulled him from the corner right there. _Damn the manipulative brat! This won't work on me! _The boy definitely deserved to be punished. And Snape was not going to feel sorry for him!

Severus willed himself to walk away and sat on the sofa glancing over at the boy. Harry didn't make any protests and simply stood in the corner. Snape checked the clock. How long was a child supposed to stand in the corner anyway? From his own childhood, he remembered it felt like an eternity but was probably only a couple of minutes. He decided, that 5-10 minutes should do it.

Snape ran a hand through his hair, feeling tired. How did it all come to this? Two weeks ago he was in Azkaban and now he was a Hogwarts Professor with a child on his hands. And he had no idea, how to do either of those things.

Well, his classes so far went as well as one could expect, really. Upper years already cared enough about their marks due to O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s not to cause too much trouble. First-years were mostly just scared. The worst so far were the Second, Third, and Fourth-year students. For those, classes were a playground to have fun and the new teacher a target to be tested. Snape already realized, that sending the miscreants to Dumbledore does absolutely nothing to teach them to behave. He will have to come up with his own punishments, which will have to be harsh enough to build his reputation as a Professor not be messed with.

And then there was Harry. A mistreated Hero of Wizarding World. A child of his school nemesis and the only woman he ever loved. A timid good-hearted boy, that had to lie about his injuries and steal food in order to survive. Of course, the whole concept of obeying adults was foreign to him. If he did obey Dursleys and never stole food he would have probably already died from malnutrition. How was Severus even qualified to take care of a neglected abused boy?

Severus's own childhood left much to be desired. He was never underfed, but he has experienced plenty of violence from his father, both towards himself and towards his mother. He frowned as his mind wandered off to the horrors of his upbringing.

Severus was pulled out of his thoughts by a quiet sniveling sound that came from the corner. He looked at Harry and saw his shoulders shaking in a sign of silent crying. He could tell that the boy was trying not to make any sound of distress, god knows if it was even allowed at Dursleys. Or perhaps no one ever cared if he cried, so that's why he preferred to keep it quiet.

Either way, Snape felt an unpleasant pang watching the boy. He checked the clock and almost punched himself in frustration. It was nearly half an hour since he put the boy in the corner! He totally lost track of time.

_Great! Just great! As if the boy weren't already scarred for life by Dursleys, now Dumbledore gives the child over to me, so that I can reduce him to a sobbing mess with my inexperience. _He sighed heavily pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Come out of the corner, Harry," he said, willing his tone to be as gentle as possible. Harry immediately left the corner and dragged his feet over to the sofa Snape was sitting on. He rubbed his eyes with his fists, trying to subdue his crying, but kept his eyes downcast.

"Why are you crying?"

"'M sorry," the boy muttered, wiping his face with his hands and catching his breath.

"It's ok to cry, but I would like to know what brought all those tears?" Severus gently raised the boy's chin to look him in the eyes.

"Because you are angry with meee," the child lamented, his eyes filling with fresh tears.

_Damn it._

"I'm not angry anymore, so you can stop now," Severus said feeling out of place, awkward, and guilty at the same time.

"I'm sorry," the boy apologized again.

_Oh for god's sake!_

"It's alright, come here," he barely managed to finish the word as the child practically threw himself in his embrace, burying his face in Snape's robes and sobbing his heart out. Severus wrapped his hands around the boy, rubbing Harry's back with soothing _"Shhh"_. He wasn't sure, whether this flood of emotions was brought up by his punishment or by the stressful events of the day.

The boy experienced a powerful burst of accidental magic, a blow to the head, watched his guardian being strangled by his snake-hands, then went to a magical castle a got lost there... compared to that 30 min in the corner didn't feel nearly as tragic. Though Snape made a mental note to set a specific time next time he has to punish the boy, as apparently, Harry wasn't one to complain. He wasn't sure if he himself at the age of 6 would ever manage to stay in the corner with nothing to do for such a lengthy period of time.

"Please don't send me back, I'll be good," Harry sobbed softly, clutching Snape's robes in his fists.

"Calm down, you are not going back. In fact, you are going to stay here with me for a while, till we find you a suitable family."

"Really? I get to stay with you?" Harry looked at him with such hope, Severus felt a weird fluttering in his stomach.

"Yes Harry, you get to stay with me," he confirmed, his lips curling up in a soft smile.

* * *

_TBC_

_Happy May Day (International Workers' Day) guys, for those of you who celebrate it. It's a day off here^^_


	5. Settling in

_Author's note: as usual, thanks for the support! It's very appreciated^^_

_A bit more lighthearted chappie;)_

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

"And which House is the coolest? Which House were you in? Which House is Kat in?" Harry smothered Snape with questions, almost jumping on his seat with excitement.

Snape felt so guilty after the corner time fiasco, he wanted to make up for it somehow. He couldn't exactly apologize because that would be counterproductive, so he decided to satisfy Harry's curiosity and tell him about the wizarding world, magic, Voldemort, and Hogwarts. Therefore, for the past hour, the child pretty much _tortured_ him with the neverending stream of questions, which made Severus question the rationale for this self-inflicted punishment.

"All Houses are equal and have their own ups and downs. I was in Slytherin. You can guess Kathryn's House on your own by the color of her robes," Severus replied, willing himself to remain patient with the ranting child. Harry didn't seem all that disturbed by the fact, that he was targeted by the most powerful wizard of the modern age. He actually found it "cool". He was also very happy, that his parents weren't drunks that died in a car crash, but "warriors" that died protecting him from You-Know-Who.

"Gryffindor?"

"Correct."

"It's the one with the lion?"

"Yes."

"Cool! I wanna be Gryffindor too!" Harry exclaimed happily.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Shocking," he commented dryly, checking the time. The dinner was about to start in the Great Hall, though it was probably better to have the meal here and let the child get accustomed to the idea of being the Boy Who Lived. No reason to shock him with the overwhelming attention he was bound to get the moment he set foot in the Great Hall.

"Time for dinner. Are you hungry?" it was a rhetorical question, but Harry started fidgeting.

"Well, maybe a bit, but only if there is anything, that is..." he blabbered, glancing at Snape warily.

"Potter, stop that. Stop guessing what I want to hear," Severus snapped with irritation, "There is only one correct answer to this question. Do you know which one?"

Harry shook his head.

"The truth," Snape said sternly, "As a matter of fact, it is a correct answer to anything I ask you. I expect you to be always truthful with me. Also, there will be no stealing food here. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

Despite the boy's frantic nodding, Severus saw the alarm and uneasiness behind the boy's brave facade.

"You will have no need to steal anything. You will be provided with adequate meals and I expect you to tell me whenever you are hungry."

They sat at the table and Harry's eyes widened when the food appeared in front of them. There was chicken with mashed potatoes and greens on the side, vegetable salad, and pudding. Harry immediately grabbed the pudding as if it was going to be snatched away otherwise.

"Nuh-uh!" Snape slapped his hand lightly, "Eat the proper food first and then you can have the pudding." He suppressed a chuckle when the child pouted.

Severus watched how Harry munched on the chicken with gusto, while completely ignoring the salad and the greens. "Eat the greens as well, they are good for you," Severus prompted him. Harry eyed the vegetables reluctantly but obeyed without argument.

"You can have the pudding now." He couldn't help his lips twitching in a smile when Harry started devouring the desert as if he never had one before. Severus considered offering him his own pudding, but it was probably not wise to over-sugar the boy in the evening. Then again, the child probably had so little sweets in his life... Which reminded Severus of the supplement potions Harry should be taking. He should have a couple of those in his storage somewhere. Snape excused himself from the table and went to the lab to find them.

He was soon pulled out of his lab by the sounds of broken dishes and shouting. Severus ran to the living room to see what happened and found the most peculiar scene in front of him. The small house elf and Harry were both fiercely gripping a plate, tugging at it in opposite directions.

"Master Harry Potter Sir! It's Loppy's job to wash the dishes!" the house-elf protested, trying to wrestle the plate away from Harry.

"But I can do it just FINE!"

"You have to let Loppy do her job, Master Harry Potter, Sir!"

"But it's MY chore!" Harry shouted pulling stronger. The plate fell to the ground and shattered. The house-elf started weeping and Harry looked lost and miserable.

_Heaven, help me, I want to go back to Azkaban!_ Severus thought grimly approaching the crime scene.

"Master Professor Snape Sir, Loppy only tried to take the dishes, but Master Harry Potter Sir wouldn't let her! Loppy tried to explain to Master Harry Potter Sir, that Loppy was responsible for all the chores in Master Professor Snape's chambers, but Master Harry Potter Sir wouldn't listen," the house-elf blathered in distress.

"But I can do everything just fine, we don't need you!" Harry retorted to the elf angrily at which Loppy started sobbing even louder.

"Master Professor Snape Sir, please don't give Loppy clothes. Loppy will do better!"

Snape massaged his temples, contemplating his course of action. Suicide felt like an obvious choice!

"Loppy, take all the dishes, clean the mess and go. Harry come with me," he took the child's hand and dragged him away from the crying house-elf before the situation got any more out of hand.

He brought Harry to the newly redecorated guest room. Apparently, house-elves already did a quick work of transforming the room to fit a 6-year-old. The walls were repainted light blue with colorful pictures on the walls. There was a small desk by an artificial window, that had a charmed view of the quidditch pitch. The shelves held a variety of toys. Severus had no idea, where those came from. And there was Snape's stuffed bunny lying on the pillow in the middle of the bed.

"What was that thing?" Harry asked, still fuming.

"That was a House-elf. They are magical creatures, who live to serve the wizards and they enjoy doing so. In fact, what you did, offended her," Severus explained, cringing at the memory of the weeping elf.

"But you have me now, I can do everything, you don't need her," Harry answered pouting.

"Potter, you are here because your aunt and uncle are unfit to take care of you. Not because I need a new House-elf," Snape countered, frowning at Harry's argumentation.

"But..."

"No Harry. Your only job is to behave and obey me and other adults. You will be responsible for your room and perhaps I may assign you some other chores. But you will let the house-elves do theirs!" he told the boy firmly.

"My room?" Harry asked confused.

"Yes, your room. You didn't expect to be living in a cupboard again, did you?"

"Uhm..."

"As a matter of fact, this IS your room," Snape said, watching as Harry finally took a careful look of his surroundings, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Really?" the boy asked, the expression of pure childish joy on his face. _His own room!_

"Yes. Look, there is your rabbit there on the bed," Severus pointed at the toy.

"Snape, here you are!" Harry jumped on the bed, hugging the bunny, "I promised Kat to show you to her."

Severus narrowed his eyes at that salutation. "Come again? What did you just call that toy?" he asked with a sinking feeling, his voice a low growl.

"Snape?" Harry offered, glancing shyly at the man. Severus suppressed a groan cringing at the thought of Potter walking around Hogwarts calling his cute stuffed bunny _Snape_. He could practically wave goodbye to students, or staff, ever showing him any respect. He was doomed.

_Albus, if this is your way to torture me for my Death Eater days, then it's definitely working._

"Please, don't be mad," Harry muttered, taking on the atmosphere and staring on the floor guiltily.

"I'm not mad. It's your bunny, you can name it whatever you want," Snape lied, willing his voice to remain calm and cogent. He handed Harry the supplement potion, taking pleasure in an act of small revenge when the child grimaced at the nasty taste. _That will teach you to name stuffed toys after me!_

They heard a soft knock on the door and Snape went to answer it. It was Kathryn.

"Uhm, hello Professor. I brought the essay you assigned me," she said, glancing behind him, probably searching for Harry to make sure he didn't murder the misbehaving child. As on cue, Harry peaked in the living room with curiosity.

Seeing Kathryn, he ran to the door to greet her, "Hi Kat! Guess what? I'm staying at Hogwarts! Come, you have to see my room!" he took her hand and dragged the girl inside. Riley cast Snape an apologetic look and followed Harry to see his room. Severus had no intention of inviting the girl over, but apparently, he was not making any decisions anymore! He followed the two, grumbling under his breath something about children and manners.

"Lovely room Harry! Way cooler than my dormitory, you are very lucky," she said, smiling warmly at the child's obvious excitement. Harry then handed her the bunny.

"Oh my! So this is Snape? Hmm, how cuuuute!" she sang, staring Severus dead in the eye with a vicious smirk. Snape's attempted scowl was severely lacking since his cheeks flamed in embarrassment. Kathryn couldn't contain a giggle, that escaped her lips after watching the man's discomfort.

Severus clenched his fists, devising the torturous scenarios he was going to put the 7th year Gryffindor&Ravenclaw class through. "Miss Riley, unless you prefer to write more punishment essays, I suggest you wipe that grin off your face!"

"Sorry Sir," she apologized, though her everpresent smirk proved just how ingenuine that apology was. Kathryn handed him the essay, brushing against his hand in a seemingly accidental touch that sent an electric jolt right through him, and headed back to the door.

"See you, champ," she winked at Harry ruffling his hair with a friendly smile and left.

Before Snape managed to reach the table to check her essay, there was another knock on the door. _Merlin. What now? _

He was surprised to see quite an unexpected guest.

"Good evening Lupin, how may I help you?" he said casually as if he had seen the man just yesterday and not 7 years ago.

Remus looked quite uncomfortable, shifting on his feet by the door. "Severus, hello. Uhm, you look well."

"Yes, Azkaban does that to you. You should try it," Severus replied dryly.

Lupin chuckled at that. Severus was as sarcastic as ever. "May I come in?"

_No, you may not! _"Yes, of course." Snape stepped aside letting the man through. "Tea?"

"Yes, please," Remus nodded, his lips stretching in a warm smile when he spotted Harry. "Hello. You must be Harry! I heard you are here, so I had to stop by to introduce myself,"

Harry quickly overcame his shyness and approached the friendly man.

"What took you so long?" Snape remarked sarcastically. It was clear that Severus was referring to the 5 years that nobody checked on the boy, and not the time that took Lupin to come down to the dungeons.

Remus winced but didn't comment, probably because it was not a topic to be discussed in Harry's presence.

"I'm Remus Lupin, I was a friend of your parents," he said, offering his hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Lupin," Harry answered politely, shaking his hand with a shy smile, "Are you a wizard too?"

"Yes, Harry, I'm a wizard too, I attended Hogwarts together with your parents. Your dad and I were very close friends. And when he started dating your mom, she became a permanent part of our gang. They were incredible wizards and marvelous people. Perhaps I could tell you more about them sometimes?" he glanced at Snape for permission. Dumbledore has already filled him in on what happened, so he knew that Snape was responsible for the child for the time being.

"Perhaps," Severus replied without a hint of a smile. He was not keen on revising that part. Lily dating James was not high on the list of his favorite events.

"Well, I actually wanted to see you too, Severus. Could we talk in private?"

"Sure. Potter, go to your room," he told the child, his strict tone leaving no room for argument. Harry wanted to protest but then decided that being ordered to go to HIS room was a big improvement over being locked in the cupboard, so he gave Remus a small smile and left.

"He resembles James so much," Lupin remarked, his gaze lingering at the closed door. "Although he does have..."

"Lily's eyes," Snape finished for him. "So what excuse do YOU have for never visiting the boy? Everyone came up with something pathetic, I hope your excuse will be at least a little bit inventive."

Remus shrugged, "I don't have any. In one day I lost ALL of my friends. I guess I couldn't confront the reality that Harry represented," he said, his face twisting with pain.

Snape snorted. At least the wolf had the decency to appear ashamed.

"I wanted to thank you. I don't know if you know, but Dumbledore..."

"Gives you the Wolfsbane Potion I make for him every month? I'm not daft Lupin," Snape commented with a bored expression, "Is that why you came here?"

"No, no, of course not."

"If you want the custody, then you should talk to Dumbledore about it," Severus said nonchalantly. Although somehow, despite being adamant about not wanting to be the brat's guardian just a few hours ago, giving Potter over to Lupin didn't seem like an appealing prospect at all.

"No, Severus, with my condition, I don't think it would be wise."

"Then spill, for fuck's sake! Why are you here?" Snape snapped, finally giving in to his temper.

"Sirius." Remus scratched his forehead in a nervous gesture, his hand trembling slightly.

"What about him?"

"Have you seen him?"

"You mean in Azkaban?" Severus asked furrowing his brows in confusion. Why would Lupin come to HIM to inquire about Black?

"Yes."

"No. If I did, it would have probably prolonged my stay in there. As far as I know, he was in solitary the moment he got there. Why are you asking me?"

"Well, you know, if he perhaps explained it..." Remus trailed off, his expression pained.

"Lupin, do you mean to tell me, that in those 5 years you haven't visited Black even once to confront him?" Snape hissed, as the understanding finally hit him.

Remus only shook his head.

"Wow. I always knew you were a marshmallow, Lupin," he spat with disgust, "But I never took you for such a coward."

_Or perhaps you were...For all those times you joined Black and Potter in bullying me, despite being against it, but too big of a pussy to tell that to your friends._

"Not much of a Gryffindor, huh?" Remus said with a sad smile.

"Not much of a friend, either."

Lupin gave him a surprised look, "You don't believe, he did it?"

"Oh, I am sure that mutt is capable of even worse. But quite frankly, I don't care. To me, he is a dead man. But YOU were his loyal sidekick for so many years. Always supporting him in his vicious bullying endeavors," Snape sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "One would expect YOU to give him the benefit of the doubt. Not like there was any trial."

Lupin stared at him for a couple of moments and then threw his hands in the air in defeat, "You are right, Severus. Some demons are harder to face than others." Then he glanced over at the door and his lips quirked in a small smile. "I'm afraid our conversation is not private anymore."

Snape narrowed his eyes and followed Lupin's gaze. "Damn. Those wolf senses," he remarked with slight admiration.

"Yes, it has its upsides," Remus joked, tilting his head back.

Snape waved his hand and the doors opened sharply revealing the small boy, who stumbled through them trying to catch balance. Once Harry managed to stabilize himself, he looked at the two men sheepishly, realizing that he has been caught red-handed.

"Potter, disobeying again? Or do you have an actual excuse for eavesdropping?" Snape addressed the child calmly.

"I uhm... I just..." Harry muttered, trying frantically to come up with a decent enough reason.

"My, my, do we need to add lying to your list of transgressions as well?" Severus raised an eyebrow, which unnerved the child even further.

"No, Sir, " Harry cast his eyes on the floor, giving up.

"Room. Now!" Snape barked sharply, pointing his hand out of the door. Harry didn't need to be told twice and quickly ran to his room.

"James's son, after all," Remus commented chuckling when the boy disappeared from the sight.

"It's the second time he disobeyed me in just a couple of hours," Severus grumbled with annoyance, resting his chin on the hand and looking at Lupin.

"Don't look at me, I have no idea what to do with children," Remus shook his palms laughing.

"You are as useless as ever, Lupin," Snape replied, though there was significantly less venom this time. Finishing his tea, Severus stood up. "You will have to confront Black yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Potter brat to deal with."

"Yes, yes, of course. Thank you for your time, Severus," Remus said, getting up and walking towards the door. "Don't be too hard on the boy. I'm sure, he means well."

Snape rolled his eyes, "You have to work on your parenting advice, Lupin. You are no help at all!"

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Harry was sitting on the bed, feeling very sorry for himself. How did everything turn so bad? Why did he always have to mess everything up? Things went so well before. He was not with his aunt and uncle anymore, he ate a good dinner, even had a pudding! He was in a magic castle! How cool was that? And his parents were wizards and he was a wizard too! And he defeated the most powerful wizard of all times and everyone supposedly knew him. Well, at least the talking portraits did. He even got his own room. And now he blew it all. Mr. Snape didn't yell, but he seemed so angry.

_Please, please don't send me back!_

The door opened and Severus entered the room, finding Harry a picture of pure misery. The boy dared a careful glance at him and immediately dropped his gaze back to his lap. Severus felt the anger dissolve right there. Well, he wasn't exactly angry, just annoyed. He was sure that Harry's behavior was pretty natural for a child. Heck, for a 6-year-old Harry definitely behaved very well for the most part. He was yet to whine, throw tantrums, yell, scream, run headlessly, openly defy him and do all the other horrors, that children were prone to. But then again, he only had the kid for half a day, so those things were still likely to come. Or maybe not?

Either way, the boy just disobeyed him again. So he couldn't exactly pat him on the shoulder and tell him to stop looking so grim. He should be looking grim, he was in trouble after all. Severus still had no idea, what was an appropriate course of action in such cases. Some punishment was definitely in order, but he didn't want to spank the child nor put him in the corner since he already spent there too much time before. Snape decided to just play it out, till the idea presented itself.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" he willed his tone to be stern.

The boy only shrugged his shoulders in response.

Well, that wouldn't do. "If you have the balls to openly disobey me, you better have the balls to face the music afterward and look at me," Severus snapped, crossing arms on his chest.

The boy met his gaze reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Sir," he said, his voice trembling slightly, but his eyes remaining upright.

_A Gryffindor indeed._

"So what is your excuse? Surely you know, that eavesdropping on private conversations is wrong."

"Yes, Sir."

"Well?" Snape raised an eyebrow, expecting to hear some kind of motivation.

"I was just curious. I thought you were talking about me."

"Even if we were, you were asked to leave for a reason. Or you think that at the age of 6 you know better?"

"No, Sir," Harry mumbled, his shoulders slumping and his gaze falling back to his lap. Severus sighed. It was clear, that the boy knew he did wrong.

"You are here barely half a day and you already managed to disobey me twice, Harry."

"Please don't send me back! I'll never disobey you again!" the child pleaded miserably and Snape felt his heart give a twist.

"You are not going back even if you do," Snape reassured him and Harry cast him a hopeful glance. "However, you will have to mind me, Potter, and I mean it. I am your temporary guardian now and what I say goes. No arguments, no whining or backtalking. I don't have the patience for any of that. I expect you to behave and do as you are told. Because if you don't, you will find yourself sporting a very sore backside, do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Harry blushed at the threat and nodded his head, "Yes, Sir."

Snape glanced at the clock, it was only 8 pm, and then the idea struck him, "I think an early bedtime is in order," he said sternly.

There! A perfect punishment. Not harsh, but children always complained when they had to go to sleep early right? And Potter was definitely used to going to sleep late, given his frequent night strolls to the kitchen.

But Harry only nodded, smiling sheepishly. Well then perhaps it wasn't that much of a punishment if the child agreed so readily?

_Idiot, you just told him, that he was not supposed to backtalk! _

_Gah! How am I supposed to know, if the punishment is effective then? _

_God, I suck at this._

"Take a bath and I expect you to be in bed within half an hour," he told the boy pointing at the bathroom and the child rushed to obey him.

_Well, that was easy._

Severus decided to use the time to go through Kathryn's essay. He went back to the kitchen, sat at the table and poured himself some of the leftover tea.

The first thing that caught his attention was some kind of code on the top of the parchment. There were around fifty 3-digit numbers, which had no business being there, as it had definitely nothing to do with the Lobalug Venom. Snape immediately felt intrigued. He studied the numbers, some of them, were the same.

_Hmm, she left me a message?_

The most common coding using numbers that he knew was "page/line/word", however, there were only 3 pages on the essay and many numbers did start with a higher digit than 3. So perhaps it was "line/word/letter"? He gave it a try and soon realized he was correct when the first three numbers resulted in: _"I am"_.

Severus smirked with satisfaction. He forgot about the contents of the essay altogether and immersed himself fully into decoding. Writing down letters on a separate piece of paper. When he finished he stared at the paper, his heartbeat picking up as he read:

_"I am not going to wear any panties to your class. I want you to punish me properly."_

_._

_._

_._

_Well... Fuck._

* * *

_TBC_

_Poor Snape;D_


	6. Double trouble

Author's note: kudos for the feedback, guys^^ Glad you enjoyed the humor.

"Kat's got his tongue" was a good one;D

Here's one more before I go=)

**Warning for parental CP. **Nothing overly harsh but if it's a trigger for you, skip the last part.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

"Everyone is staring at me," Harry observed, watching the students at the tables of the Great Hall. It was early morning and the tables were half empty, with the majority of teenagers still in their beds sleeping till the last possible moment. Teachers usually ate their breakfast earlier on to have enough time to prepare for the morning classes.

Snape didn't have class early in the morning, but he decided it will be a good time to introduce Harry to the staff and give Potter a small tour over Hogwarts and its grounds. There were a lot of dangerous places for a 6-year-old, so it was important to explain that to the child as soon as possible, as well as organize some kind of babysitting for when Snape had to teach.

"Well, you are very young to be here. And you are sitting at the teachers' table, so you sparked everyone's curiosity. Though I think before the day is through, everyone will already know about you," Severus explained while sipping on his morning coffee.

"Because I'm the Boy Who Lived?"

"Yes, Potter. You are quite the celebrity. I should get an autograph before we have a queue here," Snape remarked sarcastically, which made Harry giggle and some teachers chuckle in amusement.

"Hello Harry, how are you? Are those pancakes as good as they look?" Kathryn said appearing out of nowhere. The redhead smiled warmly at the boy, nodding politely to the rest of the table.

"Hi! They're yummy," Harry confirmed with a wide grin.

"Miss Riley, you already know Mr. Potter?" Minerva addressed the girl with a surprise on her face.

"Oh yes, Professor, I had the pleasure of meeting him yesterday," Kathryn answered sweetly. She seemed to be quite nonchalant in approaching the staff table during breakfast as if it was a common occurrence. She didn't act awkward at all, but rather as if teachers were her colleagues, smiling at everyone with an easygoing charm. Snape didn't feel half as comfortable with his new coworkers, as Kathryn did with her Professors.

"Riley was the one who found Potter when he decided to take a stroll through the castle corridors," Severus explained, leveling the child with a stern look. Harry gave a sheepish smile sinking further in his seat.

"He was very brave though and walked me through the castle like a perfect gentleman," she said winking at the boy, that got a blushing simper out of Harry and a couple of "awws" from the adults. Snape resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Riley was so obvious in her attempt to charm everyone around her, and yet for some reason, Severus seemed to be the only one who noticed it. Despite his resistance, his mind wandered off to her message and his glance fell down on her skirt. He immediately looked away, but as if on cue, Kathryn turned her attention to him.

"Professor, did you have the time to read my punishment essay? Was it ok?" she asked, chewing on her bottom lip in an act of fake contriteness. Severus understood that the real question behind it was, whether he read her coded message.

"A punishment essay? Miss Riley, I find that hard to believe," Minerva commented, giving Snape a curious look.

"Oh, I was so unprepared for that potion, Professor. I almost ruined it and hurt myself with the improper use of a dangerous ingredient. Thankfully Professor Snape stopped me just in time before I injured myself," she told McGonagall in her angelic play pretend.

Severus was genuinely impressed. Kathryn twisted the truth around in such a way to make herself look like a chastised goody-two-shoes student that will do better and Severus a capable teacher that averted a potion accident and assigned proper consequences. That was SO NOT what actually happened. How was Kathryn ever placed in Gryffindor? She was as Slytherin as they come!

Severus only nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"I'll see you in class, Professor," she told him sweetly and it took Snape years of Occlumency practice not to blush right there in front of everyone.

"Such a sweet girl," Minerva said, while others nodded in agreement and Severus resisted an urge to smack them in the face for being so utterly clueless.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

"Tonks, Weasley, come here, please," Snape called the two teenagers right at the start of the lesson. The girl was glaring daggers at Weasley, so Severus assumed, that whatever disagreement the two had between each other last time, was apparently still going on. Snape could practically smell impending trouble, however this time, he was going to take preemptive measures.

"Hold your hands," he told them, an evil smirk creeping in his face. The teenagers blanched and looked at him in disbelief.

"You are going to work together today. And you are going to have a small handicap, which will force you to cooperate fully," he sneered, watching with satisfaction as teenagers turned beet red. "I will not stand for any more foolishness from the two of you! Now hold each other's hand, please."

Nymphadora was first to find her voice, "Professor, you don't have to do that! We won't do anything!"

"Yes Tonks, you won't, because I'm going to make sure of that. Now, do as I say."

Charlie took the girls hand in his, blushing furiously. Severus bit down the sarcastic remark about young love being created. The two were already miserable enough from the public humiliation. Snape was quite sure, that as soon as the news about his method leaves the classroom, it will take some time before anyone dared to prank in his class again.

Snape wrapped a ribbon around their hands, locking them together, in resemblance of handcuffs. "Now, if you remove or break the ribbon, whether on purpose or by accident, you will be serving detention with me wearing it again. I suggest not doing any rash movements and not letting go of each other's hands. If you fail your potion, you will be doing it again next lesson in the very same fashion. Good luck."

He sat back on his chair pleased with himself for coming up with something horrible enough to pay back the duo and to dissuade any future potential pranksters. He heard snickers as Tonks and Weasley went back to the desk and felt a bit bad for them.

"Anyone, who thinks this is amusing, will be doing their potion in the same manner!" he barked, leveling the students with a stern gaze.

_Ah, marvelous! _He screened his class with satisfaction. He might not be anyone's favorite professor after this, but he will not have any more monkey business in his class.

The lesson went on peacefully and without an accident. Weasley and Tonks did have some trouble at start when they kept attempting to go in opposite directions. It was amusing to watch, but Severus forced himself to keep his face impassive and to glare at anyone, who dared to giggle. In the end, they did find their pace and managed to produce a rather decent Girding Potion, much to Snape's surprise.

"Anyone, who delivered a worse sample than Weasley and Tonks, should be ashamed of themselves," he told the class addressing no one in particular, then turned his attention back to the duo. "Good job, I see a little cooperation goes a long way," he commented taking the ribbon off.

Dora then immediately let go of Charlie's hand and the redhead flushed, his gaze lingering on her hand while clenching his own in a fist. Snape smirked realizing that there was indeed a young love being created but refrained from saying anything.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

His next class was filling with the 7th year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Severus dreaded this one, as he was not sure how to act around the redhead vixen. She couldn't be any more obvious in her attempts to get his attention, as well as the nature of the attention she wanted. It's not that teacher-student relationships were prohibited per se. Severus did check both Hogwarts Rules and Regulations and Teacher's Code of Conduct. But he was pretty sure that it was a taboo nonetheless. He was also sure, that Kathryn was well aware of that, and either didn't care or didn't actually expect Snape to act on her advances, simply enjoying her little game of torturing him.

Severus started the lesson with a quick test he prepared, which was greeted with the universal sound of angry murmuring. It was kind of a dick move really, since he didn't warn them about possible pop quizzes. But then again, it will make students prepare for the lessons properly in the future.

He could feel the redhead staring at him, but he purposely avoided looking at her. He sat down and watched the angry rumble die out and replaced with a concentrated silence, as the teenagers focused on solving the questions.

Kathryn was sitting at the first-row desk, looking not at all concerned about the surprise test. She was brushing the quill feather against her chin absentmindedly, as she read through the questions. Snape's gaze traveled down to her skirt. He could see it perfectly from where she was sitting. He wondered if that was on purpose since she usually sat in the middle of the classroom.

The girl must have sensed his attention, because the feather movements became more deliberate, as she brushed her collarbone, then down her neck and into her cleavage, which Severus noted was unbuttoned down to the barely acceptable level. Her lips parted slightly and her chest went down as she slowly exhaled. Snape could practically hear the silent moan in his head. He quickly raised the Occlumency shields trying to calm down his approaching excitement. He couldn't get hard in the middle of class, for fuck's sake!

When he looked back at her, Kathryn was staring him dead in the eye, a small wicked smile playing on her lips. She slowly parted her legs and Severus felt his heart rate quicken again. _Damn. I should just throw her out of the classroom! _But what for? Sitting? He could imagine Minerva questioning him on why did he expel her golden girl from class. _Well, she was making me hard, you know? _Duh, that would never fly.

As if sensing, that she was finally getting through to him, Kathryn parted her legs further and...

_Where the fuck is she putting her hand?! _

Snape was hard as a rock, Occlumency be damned, it didn't do shit. Riley was fucking pleasuring herself right there in the middle of the test! How the hell was Severus supposed to teach now? They had a potion planned for today, but Snape couldn't really leave the safety of his desk unless he wanted the students to see just how "happy" he was to be there. He groaned inwardly both from helplessness and sexual frustration. This was horrible!

He contemplated confronting the girl after class about her behavior. But that would mean admitting that he read her message and did look at her more than appropriate. Perhaps ignoring her would make her lose interest soon and find some other target. Although that thought was also strangely unsatisfying because a small part of Severus enjoyed her advances. Well, not small... actually a rather BIG part of Severus was enjoying her advances right now.

After 20 minutes or so, the students finished and started bringing in their tests, casting Severus either pleading or openly hostile looks. Kathryn was the only one to give him a lopsided grin, knowing perfectly well that he had been watching her the entire time.

With just a glance Snape felt his irritation rise because he could already see correct answers, as well as the coded message on top of her parchment. Damn her for still managing to do well while masturbating shamelessly. Snape decided that he was in no state to teach really, so he told the class to work on their projects while he went over the tests.

As expected, most of the students were rather unprepared, so the results were not particularly pleasing. Kathryn also got some things wrong, but her work still exceeded expectations. Snape decoded the message without even writing it down on a separate paper. It said: "_I know you are hard for me." _He looked up and found Riley watching him intently. Oh, how he wanted to put the cocktease back to her place. Fill that smirking mouth till she gagged, pleasure her till she begged, ride her hard till she screamed...

"Class dismissed," Severus barked and stormed out of the room before anyone notices, how painfully erect he was.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

After a short stop at the bathrooms, Snape made his way directly to Dumbledore's office since Albus was babysitting Potter today. He could only hope, that everything went fine because he was so not in the mood to deal with anything right now.

"Headmaster, I'm here to pick up Potter," he said searching the office for the sign of the child. They should be going to Diagon Alley now to buy the boy some proper clothes since the rags Harry brought with him were hardly fitting.

"Good afternoon Severus, Harry is in the library," Albus greeted him, offering candy, which always sat on his desk.

"I thought, you were babysitting him today?" Severus replied, ignoring the offer.

"I was. But then I got a call from ministry, so I told him to go to the library and find some book."

"You TOLD him? Albus, he is 6!" Snape groaned in frustration.

"He said, he knows, where the library is," Albus said shrugging.

"Of course, he did..." Severus growled, not wasting his breath explaining how ill-advised it was to take the 6-year-old at his word, and simply left the office.

_Damn the old fool. If Potter is not in the library, it's going to be the last time Albus babysat the brat._

Snape felt his frustration rise threefold when Madam Pince said, she hasn't even seen the boy. _Crap, crap, crap! _It has been less than 24 hours since he brought Potter to Hogwarts and the boy already got lost twice!

Severus decided to ask the portraits whether they had seen the boy and apparently Potter left the castle roughly an hour ago. _Great, just great. _Snape rushed outside and thought frantically where could the boy possibly go? The first obvious destination was the Quidditch pitch. Not only Harry had the view of it from his room, but he also seemed genuinely interested in flying, when Snape showed him the stadium in the morning.

There was Hufflepuff Quidditch practice about to start, but no sign of Potter.

"Tonks!" Severus called the only player he remembered by name. The girl approached him, her eyes full of suspicion. Snape realized, that he was probably not her favorite person right now, but hoped she would still not lie to him. "Have you seen a small boy around here? Age 6, black hair, wearing glasses."

She looked at him with surprise and shook her head. "I'll ask the others," she said running over to her teammates and then waved at him shrugging her shoulders.

Alright, where else?

Snape ran to the lake, his pulse picking up, his irritation overflowing. _How dare he disobey again!_ Even if he couldn't find the library, he was definitely not to leave the castle without adult supervision! Snape explained to him loud and clear in the morning, that he was not to wander around on his own!

Harry was nowhere near the lake and Snape was starting to panic. He glanced around with growing desperation when his eyes fell on Hagrid's hut. Perhaps the groundkeeper had seen the boy. Or could at least think of a place where the child could have gone. But the hut was empty and Snape was running out of places to look. He burrowed his hands in his hair, trying to think of any other place to look but the Forbidden Forest. Surely the brat would not be so braindead as to go there, right? After he described the dangers of the Forest so vividly to make an impression...

Before he had the chance to despair, he saw two figures on the path exiting the forest. Hagrid's big frame could not be mistaken with anyone even from such distance and watching the small child holding his hand, Snape felt a weird mix of rage and relief. He walked swiftly to meet them, trying to calm his temper as he did.

"Mr. Snape!" the boy exclaimed happily, jumping with excitement as he ran towards Severus. "I have seen centaurs! The real centaurs!"

"Did you now," Snape hissed, barely keeping his temper from exploding. The brat's oblivious excitement annoyed the hell out of Severus. He switched his attention to Hagrid, fixing him with a murderous glare.

"Perfect place for an afternoon stroll with a child you picked, Rubeus."

Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise at Snape's biting tone, "I saw the lad enter the forest and decided he will be safer with me."

Severus narrowed his eyes dangerously as he looked at Harry and the child took a couple of steps back, his face changing in color as he bit his lip nervously.

"I see. And did Mr. Potter explain, what he was doing in the forest?" he asked, his tone dropping down an octave.

"Harry said, he wanted to see the unicorns but it's not the season, so they are far too deep in the forest, and the centaur colony was nearby, so I decided to show the lad at least those," Hagrid explained smiling warmly at Harry, but the boy picked up on Snape's mood way better than Hagrid did, and didn't dare to return the smile anymore.

"Well, thank you for watching over the boy," Severus managed a polite smile, "I'll take it from here. We have a lot of things to discuss," he added, casting a stern gaze at the boy, which successfully erased the remnants of his cheerful demeanor.

"No problem Professor. See you later, Harry," Hagrid waved at them smiling and walked back to his hut.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I hope you have prepared a good explanation. I sincerely can't wait to hear it," Snape said and even though he remained perfectly calm, the cutting sarcasm was not lost on the boy.

Harry didn't reply, he gulped hunching his shoulders and looked at his feet guiltily. Severus grabbed his hand and marched him back to the castle. The boy had to occasionally jog to keep up with Professor's angry stride, but he dared not to complain, sensing how much trouble he was in.

Snape finally let go of his hand, when they entered his private quarters. The boy has had enough time to come up with some sort of explanation that will prevent Severus from murdering him on spot.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The only response he got was a barely visible shrug, as the child kept studying his shoes with a newfound interest.

"Nothing? Really? You disobeyed the Headmaster, you disobeyed ME! You left the castle, you went into Forbidden Forest and YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY?!" Snape berated the boy, his voice raising dangerously. Harry flinched from the tone and Severus had to take a deep breath in order to control his temper. He was not likely to get an admission from the child by yelling at him.

"I just wanted to see the unicorns and the big spiders," came a barely audible reply. Snape silently cursed himself for telling the child what lived in the forest. He tried to scare him with the terrifying Acromantulas, but instead only managed to spark his interest.

Severus sighed and sat on the sofa pulling Harry to stand in front of him. He gently tapped on the boy's chin, lifting it to meet his gaze.

"Where did Headmaster tell you to go, Harry?" he asked, his voice firm but not harsh anymore.

"To the library," the child answered, chewing on his bottom lip.

"And do you know, how to get to the library?"

"Uh-huh."

"So why didn't you do as you were told?"

"Uhm..." Harry fidgeted under the stern gaze. He was in a magic castle and he was supposed to go to the library? That's like the most boring place out there! He didn't really have an excuse, he simply wanted to explore!

"Do you remember what I told you in the morning about wandering around?"

Harry nodded and Snape raised an eyebrow waiting for a verbal answer.

"Not supposta," Harry admitted looking down on the floor once more.

"And are you allowed to leave the castle on your own?" Severus prompted sternly tapping the boy's chin again.

"No, Sir."

"Are you allowed to go anywhere NEAR the Forbidden Forrest?" Snape growled, unable to keep the angry notes from his voice. Thank Merlin Hagrid has seen him enter the forest. Snape didn't want to think about what could have happened if he hasn't and the child got lost there.

"No, Sir," Harry answered miserably.

"And why is that?"

"'Tis dangerous."

Snape sighed again. Harry clearly knew what he did wrong. Unfortunately, it didn't change the fact that he did it, and Severus couldn't let it slide. Not only the child disobeyed him, AGAIN. But more importantly, the boy wasn't being simply mischievous, he went to the Forbidden Forest for god's sake! He put his life in danger and that was definitely not something to brush off with a pat on the head. He needed to make an impression on the boy.

"Harry, do you remember, what I promised you if you keep disobeying?" At that the boy blanched, color draining from his face, as he took a couple of steps back looking at Snape with terror.

Severus frowned. Sure, spanking was not anything pleasant, but it shouldn't inspire that much fear. He reached over and grabbed the boy's wrist pulling him back. Harry tensed up, his body going rigid and his lower lip trembling. He didn't say a word of protest, but he was clearly terrified.

"Harry, what exactly do you think I'm going to do to you?" Severus asked being caught off guard by such a reaction. He expected the kid to whine and protest, maybe cry, shout or even make a run for it. But certainly not look like he was about to be executed.

"Beat me," the child muttered in response. Snape only rolled his eyes at the boy's dramatism.

"No Potter, I'm not going to beat you. Or let anyone else beat you for that matter. Ever," he let the "again" remain unspoken looking the boy in the eyes in a silent vow, "I'm going to spank you, so stop acting as if you are about to be flayed alive. You will survive, no one ever died from a smacked bottom before," Severus remarked watching the color return to Harry's face as the child blushed.

"Alright, let's get it over with," Snape said tugging at Harry's hand gently as he bent him over his knees. The boy didn't resist, he was still a bit tense, but that was probably to be expected. Severus pulled Harry's trousers down to his knees revealing the small underwear-clad backside. He felt the child clutch the fabric of his trousers bracing himself for the upcoming discipline. Severus exhaled willing himself not to lose his resolve.

_Great. What now? _

It was not that Snape wouldn't know what to do, that was kind of a no brainer, it was just that he had never spanked a child before and he was probably just as nervous as Harry was at the moment. He didn't want to be overly harsh, but he knew that he had to be firm with the boy to leave a lasting impression and dissuade him from ever going into the forest again. A few admonitory taps were just not going to cut it this time. He had no idea how many smacks would make an appropriate punishment. He hoped to get some indication from the child's reactions, but he decided that he will give no more than ten.

_Stop stalling and just do it! _

Severus took a breath and without further ado brought his hand down with a resounding smack. Harry only jerked himself a bit from the impact, but otherwise didn't make a sound.

_Too hard? Too soft? So much for getting an indication from the child's reactions, _Severus thought grimly. Harry was probably taught never to voice discomfort because so far he never did. Even when Vernon battered him into the wall, Harry didn't utter a single sound.

Snape landed another smack, which was greeted with the same silence.

_Damn it._

"Harry, I'm very disappointed in your behavior. Not only you disobeyed both me and Headmaster but you knew well that the Forbidden Forest was dangerous and you still went in! The creatures that live there could not only seriously harm you, they could _kill_ you, Harry!" Severus scolded the boy, punctuating his lecture with two firm swats.

"I'm sorry!" Harry let out a soft sniffling sound.

Snape felt his chest squeeze with uneasiness. He hated this. He could only hope, that next time there will be somebody else to take over the duty of disciplining the boy because he felt horrible doing it. He gritted his teeth and brought his hand down two more times soundly, eliciting a couple of quiet whimpers.

Severus knew he was done. He didn't care if it was enough because he simply couldn't bring himself to continue. He could see the faint pink blush along the lines of the boy's underwear. It should be gone in a couple of minutes, Severus could only hope that the message will last longer than that. He pulled the boy's trousers back up and sat the sniffling child on his knee.

Tears were streaming down Harry's cheeks and he rubbed his eyes with his fists letting out soft pitiful crying sounds. Severus felt guilty again. He didn't think he was too strict. The punishment was rather mild, but he hated that he had just made a small child cry.

"Harry, do you understand why I had to punish you?" Snape asked the boy, rubbing comforting circles on his back in hopes to calm him down.

Harry only nodded miserably, "Are you going to send me back now?" he asked trying to reign in his sniffles, while his eyes filled with fresh tears.

_Here we go again. _

"No Harry. I wouldn't bother disciplining you if I meant to just toss you back to the Dursleys. Stop worrying. You are NEVER going back there! Do you understand?"

Instead of an answer, the child started sobbing openly. Severus cursed himself inwardly again. This was supposed to calm the boy not reduce him to a sobbing mess. Why did nothing work as he expected it to?! He opened his arms enveloping Harry in a tight hug. The child wrapped his hands around Severus' neck and cried brokenheartedly into his shoulder.

"Shh now, I'm not angry anymore. Please don't cry," he murmured, humming softly in an attempt to calm the sniveling boy.

After a couple of minutes, Harry finally calmed down and pulled away, suddenly embarrassed for carrying on so. "'M Sorry," the child muttered blushing.

"It's alright Harry, all forgiven. I understand this was your first time being spanked?"

Harry nodded, his cheeks reddening further at the childish word.

"Well, it's a first for me too. And I didn't enjoy it any more than you did, so I hope I will not have to repeat it," Severus gave the boy a pointed look.

"Yes, Sir," Harry answered solemnly.

"Well, we have some shopping to do. You are in severe need of clothes," Severus informed the boy glancing over to the clock to check the time. There were still a couple of hours before dinner.

Harry nodded, "Alright."

"And maybe if there is time, we could stop by an ice cream parlor," Snape added surprising even himself. _Where did this come from?_

Harry's eyes brightened with excitement. "Really?"

"If you behave," Severus said, allowing himself a small smile._ And you better do, because you are getting the biggest fucking sundae I find on the menu._

* * *

_TBC_


	7. Cookies

_Author's note: Sorry for the longer break guys._

_Here is another lighthearted chappie. Hope you enjoy=)_

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Severus dreaded the shopping trip and was surprised when he found out how eagerly the staff ladies jumped in to help him. Apparently, he was giving out the _hot_ s_ingle dad_ vibe, making all the female personnel snap to attention whenever they entered a store. Casting the child over to the ladies to dress him made his job significantly easier than he originally expected.

"Here you go, sweetheart, all set. You can run grab your daddy now," Snape heard the shop assistant urging Harry in his direction. The boy bit his lip probably pondering whether he should correct her. In the end, he didn't and just came over to Severus looking increasingly guilty. Snape approached the counter to pay for the clothes ready to correct her himself, not for her sake of course, but for the sake of the child. It wouldn't do to send the boy the wrong message. But just like Harry, in the end, he felt too awkward to address it.

They walked on Diagon Alley hand in hand, Severus carrying several big handbags full of clothes and Harry carrying two small bags with shoes. There was an uncomfortable silence dragging on between them, but neither of them did anything to break it. Finally, Severus noticed the ice cream parlor and remembered the promise he gave the child earlier. Harry's eyes lit up excitedly when he noticed the direction Snape had taken.

"Well, which one do you like?" Severus asked after the boy spent at least 5 minutes staring at the colorful pictures on the menu.

Harry went over the menu once more and then looked at Snape with a sad expression. "I don't know," he muttered dejectedly.

Severus frowned. Where did all the earlier excitement go? "You don't like any?"

"I like all of them... it's just," he trailed off, dropping his eyes to his lap.

"Harry, what is it?" Snape asked, his brows furrowed with concern. Did the boy feel unwell? Did those ladies say something to Harry? Well, apart from the "daddy comment" that Severus was yet to acknowledge.

The boy finally raised his gaze to look at his guardian. "I don't have any money!" he lamented miserably, "And you already bought all these clothes and I don't know how to earn my keep if you don't let me do the chores. And..."

"Earn your keep?! Potter, what the ...," he swallowed a swearword, "are you talking about?!" Snape flew into a temper, he hoped nobody around was listening to their conversation because the boy just painted him as somebody who exploits children through labor.

Harry flinched as if being scolded and Severus immediately regretted his outburst. Whenever Snape got mad, the boy automatically assumed he did something wrong. He forced himself to calm down and amended his tone. "Harry, what do you mean by earning your keep?"

"How else am I gonna pay for the food and clothes and electricity and other... bills?" Harry asked, munching on his bottom lip.

Severus grimaced pulling at his hair, feeling irritated and lost. Where the hell did this come from? Sure the boy wanted to fight the house-elf to wash the plate, but it seemed relatively harmless at the time. Snape didn't pay much attention to it... and clearly, he should have. Apparently, the boy was forced to work to be fed. Those weren't just some chores, it was his job. Snape now regretted not breaking Petunia's bones as he threatened he would. He took a deep breath to avoid further venting his frustration on the child.

"Potter, there are no _bills _in Hogwarts. Moreover, you are not expected to have money or pay for anything. I hate to break it to you, but you are 6 years old. And it will be quite some time before you are even allowed to be working and earning money. It's against the law. Do you want to go to prison?" he asked the boy with a serious expression. He was bluffing of course, if anyone would be sent to Azkaban for child labor it would be him or Dumbledore.

Harry shook his head with a frightened expression on his face.

"Then perhaps you want me to go to prison?" Severus questioned just as severely, eliciting the same reaction from the boy.

"I thought so. Since we don't want to break the law, you will have to let me take care of the expenses," he finished with a firm tone.

Harry didn't look very happy about it so Severus decided to change the tactic. "I already told you, that your only job is to obey and do as you are told, and last time I checked you still had troubles with that," he said, giving Harry a stern look. The boy blushed profusely and fidgeted on his seat casting him a remorseful glance.

"I'm sorry," Harry offered yet another apology and Severus felt guilty again. He brought the boy into the ice cream parlor to cheer him up and ended up losing his temper and admonishing the child. _Gah..._ he just couldn't do anything right.

"Harry, you were already forgiven, however, I will not forgive you so easily if you don't choose a proper sundae," he said, unable to keep a straight face.

The child finally brightened up and pointed at the flashiest looking chocolate sundae filled with 3 different chocolate ice cream flavors, cookies, biscuits, waffles, candies and just everything else that screamed "too much sugar". Snape cringed at the selection but forced himself to smile and praise the boy, "Now, that's better."

He went to order Harry's choice and got himself a rather modest two scoops of vanilla. The ice cream lady came 3 minutes later with their order, she placed the chocolate monstrosity in front of Harry, winking at him with a smile. "Someone is a very lucky boy today."

Harry beamed at the woman. "Thank you," he answered politely.

"You are welcome, hon. You sure have a way better taste in ice cream than your dad," she teased.

Harry's grin tensed and Severus cursed inwardly.

"He takes after his mother," he told the waitress with a reserved smile. It wasn't a lie, Lily did like chocolate ice cream. However, looking at Harry, the damage was already done.

"Harry..." he tried to broach the topic when she left.

"I'm sorry," the boy interrupted him. "I know I should have corrected her and the shop assistant too. I just..."

"You will get a new family Harry. The headmaster will look for suitable candidates to take care of you," Severus offered, but it didn't cheer the child whatsoever.

"I like staying with you," Harry said taking a spoonful of chocolate ice cream in his mouth. It wasn't much of a surprise. After all, even though Snape was objectively a pretty shitty guardian, he was still a vast improvement over Dursleys. And he shouldn't really take pleasure in the child acknowledging it. But he did.

Severus took the spoon from his boring vanilla ice cream and dug into Harry's chocolate abomination taking a decent chunk of it and hiding it in his mouth. He raised an appreciative eyebrow smirking at his young charge.

"Well, I don't know how much you are going to like it when I eat your whole ice cream, young man," he threatened, reducing the kid to hearty giggles as he whined "Nooo" protecting the sundae with both hands.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Despite Snape's concern that Harry won't be eating dinner after the afternoon's sugar-bomb, the child proved to be very well behaved and ate everything Severus put on his plate. The boy was glowing, sitting in his new Hogwarts-like child-sized robes that changed the house colors at random. And right now the young Slytherin was living up to the wannabe house expectation by openly manipulating Severus into letting him have an extra portion of chocolate pudding. And Snape would be proud of the child for trying, except the whole Staff table was staring at him with such disgruntlement, as if he was starving the kid.

"Harry you can't possibly want more chocolate now," Snape told the boy with a frown. And the little menace didn't even have the decency to plead with him! He cast one more miserable glance at the pudding and then lowered his eyes to the table.

"Alright," the boy agreed dejectedly and then gave the saddest puppy-eyed look, not to Severus, but to Minerva! And that was all it took for the woman to summon Harry's cup and fill it with more pudding.

Severus opened his mouth to argue - how dare she undermine him? But McGonagall sent him such a fierce strict glare that Snape immediately relapsed to his student years and shut up. He narrowed his eyes at Harry, who only smiled at him sheepishly while stuffing his mouth with an extra portion of chocolate treat.

"Alright young man, I know exactly what you did there!" he hissed in the boy's ear, "Don't know who would want to babysit such a manipulative little brat," he complained, but his tone was warm and teasing.

Harry grinned in response and then his gaze fell somewhere behind Snape, he jumped to his feet and ran off.

Snape turned his head and saw Kathryn. _Oh no..._ the brat was standing next to her and pointing at Snape saying something and Kathryn nodded in response, smiling at Severus sweetly.

_Fuck..._

Snape wished he ate his words right there, he was pretty sure that Potter just found himself a willing babysitter. Awesome... As if Snape needed to spend any more time with that insufferable minx.

"Professor, Harry told me that you need a babysitter for tomorrow. I only have one class in the evening, so I would be happy to watch over him," Riley offered, winking at Harry and charming the rest of the table. Severus wanted to scowl at the "I know you are hard for me" girl, but once again he was put in a position where he couldn't say no.

"Just from nine till two," he said curtly, willing his tone to be civil.

"I'll be there," Kathryn replied patting Harry on the shoulder, "See you tomorrow, champ."

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

Kathryn had experience with children, so watching over a 6-year-old gave her no trouble whatsoever. She babysat her neighbor's daughters around Harry's age plenty over the summer and they were not nearly as well behaved as Harry was. The boy was polite, timid and excited about anything she suggested. Not even once did he argue or whine, which was not usual for the boy his age.

"So, is Professor Snape nice to you?" she asked Harry while searching for the next piece of the jigsaw puzzle they were putting together on the floor of Harry's room.

Harry shrugged, his eyes scanning the floor. "Yes, he is very nice, even though I am bad," he muttered, testing out a random piece and casting it away when it didn't fit.

"You are not bad Harry, you are a very good kid, trust me, I know," Kathryn praised him in an attempt to cheer him up, but the boy only shook his head growing even more sad for some reason.

"I was bad yesterday and Mr. Snape still bought me all these clothes, and he won't let me work, because it's not allowed. But then there is no reason for him to keep me," Harry explained with a serious expression.

Kathryn frowned, "Harry, I'm sure Professor Snape enjoys having you here, even though he won't show it," and when that failed to raise his spirits an idea struck her, "How about we make something nice for him?"

That worked, Harry sprung to attention, the jigsaw puzzle forgotten. "OK!"

"We could bake him some cookies?" she offered, quirking a brow.

"Cool!"

* * *

What started as cookie baking quickly turned into a food battle when the first batch was placed safely in the oven. Harry tripped and pawed the flour on the table showering them both with the white powder. Kathryn took it as a cue to have some fun and before long all the colorful ingredients were flying over the kitchen accompanied by hearty laugh and excited squealing.

Harry took a piece of pink dough, covered it in more flour and threw it at the redhead, who ducked under the table just as the kitchen door opened...

* * *

For every person, there was always a first time. And for Snape, this was definitely his first time being hit in the face with cookie dough.

It was such a shock, that he didn't even register the pain. The colorful flour covered his face and hair in an even layer, while the pink dough was slowly falling to the ground piece by piece, bits of it still stuck to his nose. He glanced around taking in a sorry state of his kitchen and felt like a pink fluffy unicorn dancing on rainbow.

Kathryn turned around to look at him and seeing how livid Snape looked, swallowed a giggle. Harry blanched and completely froze, his eyes bulging in horror.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" Snape roared glaring at the two miscreants.

"Uhm, I'm s-sorry Mr. Snape," Harry stammered frightened.

"Room, now!" he bellowed, pointing his finger out of the kitchen and Harry all but fled.

Kathryn handed him a kitchen towel, struggling to maintain a straight face, not at all put out by the man's anger, "Don't be so mad at him, he didn't mean to hit you."

"Oh, you think I'm mad at HIM? Now that's cute!" Snape growled at the girl wiping his face. "Look what you've done to my kitchen!"

Kathryn shrugged with a smile. "We were just making cookies..."

The lack of remorse was simply appalling. Severus approached the redhead and pinned her down with a scowl, breaching her personal space. "You were supposed to look after him, not wreak havoc on the entire place!" he hissed menacingly.

Kathryn caught her breath. "I will clean it!" she said, losing her smile.

"Damn right you will!" he confirmed towering over her. But when their eyes met, she didn't look the least bit threatened. If anything she appeared to be turned on by his anger.

There was a pause. Kathryn reached out and grabbed Severus's robes in a gentle grip, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I like when you use that tone."

"What tone?"

She glanced at him fluttering eyelashes. "The dominant one. Like you know you will be obeyed."

Oh, she was definitely playing him again. And Snape found himself deeply tempted to succumb to her advances.

"Hm."

"And I can be a good girl...when I want to," she muttered seductively, "..._Sir_," she added stressing the honorific.

_Two can play that game. _

"Can you now?" Severus asked, his voice low and husky, as he leaned over the girl, his hand reaching towards her waist.

"Uh-huh," she breathed out closing her eyes ready for a kiss... that never came. Severus grabbed her wand and took a step back, crossing his arms on the chest with a satisfied smirk.

"Go on then, Miss _Good Girl,_" he beckoned her with a mocking tone.

Realizing that she misinterpreted Snape's intentions, Kathryn blushed deeper red. "Wait, what? Without a wand? But that will take hours!" she exclaimed scandalized that not only Snape played her, but he also apparently expected her to clean the kitchen the muggle way.

"I'll send you help. You two made the mess, you two should clean it," Severus commented completely unswayed by her outrage, "And I will have a couple of hours of extra peace."

Kathryn sent him an angry glare. "I have a Transfiguration in 2 hours!"

"Then I suggest you pick up the pace," he replied calmly and left the room to get Harry.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

After reassuring the boy that he won't be sent to Dursleys (again), Severus marched him to the kitchen and told the two troublemakers to get the kitchen into the original state. Let the redhead sweat a bit and look after Potter for a couple of extra hours, so that Severus can do some work in peace. Serves her right anyway for trying to manipulate him again.

After half an hour there was a soft knock on the door and a mop of black hair appeared in the doorway, two big emerald eyes staring at Severus guiltily.

"Are you very very VERY angry?" Harry probed biting his lower lip, as he kept standing in the doorway afraid to come in.

Severus suppressed a chuckle. "That's a lot of "veries", Potter. I can't be _that_ mad."

That encouraged the child to come in and approach his guardian. "How many "veries" are you mad then?" he asked with a worried look on his face. He was carrying a bowl of cookies, which smelled heavenly. They must have been fresh from the oven and Severus felt his mouth watering against himself. He didn't even like cookies. Or so he thought.

Severus finally let a small smile appear on his lips. "Maybe one."

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hit you," the boy apologized sincerely, looking at Snape with those sad eyes that could melt the ice caps faster than global warming.

"Alright, perhaps not even one," Severus relented patting Harry on the back.

That won him a reluctant smile. "We were making cookies and Kat said they are the best when still warm so... try it? Please don't be angry with us."

Severus needed no further invitation since he was waiting for it ever since the brat opened the door and hit him with that incredible scent. And damn, the cookies tasted even better than they smelled. Perhaps he ought to let the girl off the hook just this once.

"They are very good. You are forgiven," he reassured the child, "However next time Kat suggests destroying my quarters I expect you to be the man and tell her you are not supposed to. Now go play in your room quietly, I need to speak to Kathryn," he told the boy and taking Riley's wand went back to the kitchen.

When Severus entered the kitchen he found Kathryn on all fours, scrubbing the floor with her ass deliciously on display, covered only by a skirt that looked shorter than it should be. He cleared his throat to let the girl know he was back. She turned her head, her cheeks flushed from the physical strain and relief washed over her face when she saw her wand in Snape's hand.

"Thank you," she accepted the wand with a pouty smile.

"They are very tasty," Severus commented pointing at the cookies.

Kathryn's smile turned flirtatious again. "Try this," she said handing him a bowl with some kind of yellowish sauce.

There was no spoon around so Snape simply dipped his finger in the bowl in a very boyish manner and hid it in his mouth humming appreciatively. "Vanilla?"

"Uh-huh," the girl confirmed with a pleased grin. "But it's the only thing that is vanilla about me, I promise," she added with a wink. Honestly, if there was any doubt before, there wasn't one now. Kathryn couldn't be more obvious in broadcasting her sub vibes.

Severus leveled her with an inquisitive stare. "You are very straightforward, Miss Riley," he observed tilting his head to the side.

"Only when I set my eyes on something," she countered, the said eyes flashing with excitement.

Snape shook his head, unsure how he felt about the audacious girl, "You can't always get what you want, Kathryn."

He would lie if he said he wasn't flattered by her interest, especially since... well there was no point to beat around the bush anymore, he WAS attracted to her, and not just because she reminded him of Lily.

Kathryn chuckled tilting her chin up. "I actually do," she purred with a haughty smirk, "I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it."

Severus couldn't resist rolling his eyes. Seriously, writers should be forbidden to listen to Ariana Grande... and getting inspired by the lyrics should be an outright crime!

* * *

_TBC_

_Yup, not even sorry. I listened to the song in my car and immediately thought of Kathryn, hehe._


	8. List of Firsts

"Dilligrout."

"Now, now, young Slytherin, you really shouldn't be here," the portrait of Fat Lady responded calmly.

Snape glared at her. "You need an update, woman. I'm a teacher here! Now open up before I draw a snake there to keep you company for this school year," he growled.

Fat Lady gave him an appalled look crossing her arms on chest, "That's no way to address me, young man!"

Severus rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I don't have the patience for this, just open," he snapped throwing his hands in the air.

"Then you should amend your tone!" the portrait spat back, infuriating Snape further.

Severus really didn't have time to argue with her. He needed to get Potter and send the boy to bed. The autumn holidays ended and tomorrow was the first school day in Harry's new school and Severus didn't want to deal with a cranky child in the morning. Not that Harry was ever even remotely cranky. The boy tried so hard to behave, Severus felt like a douche whenever he even contemplated raising his voice to the kid. Nevertheless, he had absolutely no desire to waste his time haggling with the portrait, so he simply took his wand out and pointed it at Fat Lady in a silent threat.

That sobered her up right away. "It is not the correct password!" she huffed taking a protective stance ready to bolt to the neighbor if necessary.

"Again?!" Snape scowled annoyed, "What do Gryffindors have there that they feel the need to change the damn password every week!"

The door opened revealing a guilty-looking Bill Weasley. "Professor, sorry, it's Tapeworm now," the 6th Year said with a sheepish smile, stepping aside and letting the man through.

"Weasley, why did no one bring Harry? It's quarter to nine," Severus asked the redhead teen sternly.

Harry has spent the last couple of evenings in the Gryffindor common room. The boy gained popularity among students within the first two days, marching around the castle in his cute Hogwarts robes praising anyone who managed to do the simplest magic with supreme adoration. Harry quickly became universally liked and Gryffindors pretty much adopted him as one of their own right away. Snape was not afraid to leave his young charge in their common room as long as the upper years were present. Usually, somebody (mostly Kathryn) brought the child back to the dungeons. However, today no-one did and rather than waiting, Severus decided to pick Potter up himself.

"Sorry, we are having a tournament in Exploding Snap. Harry is doing pretty well," Bill explained, rubbing the back of his head with an apologetic grimace.

"Well, I'm afraid he will have to forfeit because it's his bedtime," Severus remarked as they entered the common room.

There was a crowd of Gryffindors surrounding the players and just as Snape approached the table, Charlie Weasley's cards exploded and the room broke out in cheers and groans. Kathryn gave Bill a high five as they started collecting sickles from the weepers who lost their bets.

"You've bet against me?" Charlie whined at his brother.

"Of course Char, my money was on Harry since the beginning. Kids are always lucky," the older Weasley replied patting the teen on the shoulder.

Harry was glowing like a Christmas tree. "Mr. Snape! I won! I'm in semifinal!" he squealed happily. His delight was so contagious Severus found his lips stretching in a warm smile.

"You are schooling the Gryffindors I see," he observed, smirking at the sulking teenagers being robbed of their pocket money by the duo of redheads. Harry giggled tilting his chin proudly.

"It's time for bed, though. Let's go," Severus prodded him, extending the hand for the child to grab. And normally that's what happened 99% of the time. However, today was the unlucky day to experience the last percentile.

Harry looked at his guardian wide-eyed, "But it's not over yet," he protested softly.

"I'm afraid, it's over for you. You have school tomorrow."

"Everyone has school tomorrow," Harry argued pouting, then decided to change tactics and cast Snape his best sad puppy look, "It's only 3 games left. Please, Mr. Snape."

Severus shook his head firmly. "You are already stretching your bedtime, as it is. You don't want to be sleepy on your first day, do you?"

"I won't be!" the boy objected, just as any 6-year-old would. But Severus didn't really have experience with 6-year-olds. Heck, he only had experience with this particular one for a bit over a week and the boy never even tried to argue, much less openly protest to do something.

"Yes, you won't be, because you are going to sleep," Snape replied with a smirk, but the humor was lost on Harry and the child glared at him. Yes actually glared. It was an expression Severus hasn't seen on Potter before.

"No!" the boy retorted angrily, crossing his arms on the chest with a full-blown pout.

Another first. Snape never heard Harry use the word in this context. And he didn't like it one bit, too. The friendly chatter in the room somehow died out sensing the building tension in the air. Severus frowned at the child, he certainly didn't want to make a spectacle in a room full of Gryffindors.

"Harry..." Snape's voice held a steel edge to it, that was universally recognized by everyone around as "_you don't want that tone"_.

But Harry somehow proved to be resistant. "It's not fair!" he whined loudly.

That was a third _first_ on Snape's list of "_new experiences with children"_ for the day. He always dreaded whiny children, the pitch was so utterly annoying, Severus tried to avoid it at all costs. Hearing this tone from Harry was not exactly "_kill me now" _but it was still very irritating. Not to mention the fact that the boy dared to do it in a room full of people.

"Well, life is not fair. The sooner you learn it, the better for you," Snape snapped not hiding his irritation with Harry anymore, "Now lose the attitude and let's go," he told the boy sternly.

"NO!" came the defiant reply. The common room went so silent, you could hear a drop of a pin. Severus felt his temper boiling. Witnessing children acting out in public was horrible enough as an uninvolved bystander. Experiencing it as the one in charge of the said child, was nothing short of nightmarish.

Snape's voice dropped down to a low hiss, which felt still too loud in the atmosphere of deadly silence, "Potter, what exactly gave you the idea, that you can defy me?"

At this point, everyone was pretty much praying for the kid to obey, not wishing to witness what would happen if he doesn't, but no-one dared to even peep.

"Because you are not being faaair! And I don't wanna sleep!" Harry fumed clenching his small fists, ready to stomp his foot if need be.

Severus pinned the brat down with a fierce scowl as he bent over and pointed a stern finger at the child's face, "If you don't stop this temper tantrum this instant, you will find out just HOW unfair I can be!" he growled using the last bits of self-restraint not to grab the child and land a well-deserved bottom-smack right there in front of everyone. The promise made all the teenagers in the room cringe uncomfortably.

"NO!" *stomp*

_Oh boy..._

"Now, THAT'S IT! You just earned yourself an early bedtime tomorrow! Keep this up and we will add a sore backside too!" Severus bellowed, finally losing his temper as he reached out to grab the boy by the hand himself. He was furious that the brat would dare to act this way with him. Didn't he tell Harry, that he had no patience for this type of behavior? And now he ended up losing his temper and embarrassing them both with an unnecessary spanking threat, that he had no intention carrying out.

Harry flinched away avoiding his grab. "I HATE YOU!" he yelled, his eyes glossy with tears of rage and humiliation. And with that, the boy ran off before Snape could react. They heard a loud door slam in one of the Gryffindor bedrooms and winced at the sound.

_Alright, we officially reached "kill me now" territory, _Snape thought gloomily. He tried to avoid looking at the Gryffindors as he set off to follow the disobedient child.

"Professor, don't..." Kathryn reached out to grab his sleeve right away. Severus turned and gave her such an icy glare that she immediately let go.

"Severus, a word, please," McGonagall called him, appearing out of nowhere.

Great, so this little display of bad parenting was even more public than Severus originally thought. Honestly, could this get any worse?!

With a highly irritated look, Severus followed McGonagall to her own quarters, feeling very much like the naughty student about to serve detention of a lifetime. He noticed that the woman hinted to Riley to check on the boy and was grateful that Minerva apparently had the situation under control way better than he had because he didn't even think to send anyone to make sure the boy was alright, while he gets grilled by McGonagall.

Minerva closed the door behind Snape and pointed at the sofa. "Sit down, Severus."

Snape scowled at the lack of "please" behind the request... but then again, maybe it wasn't one. He sat down and watched Minerva fumble through her cabinet and then take a vial and pour its contents into a cup.

"If you think you are being subtle, you are not. I can smell the bloody Calming Draught all the way from here," Snape grumbled irritatedly.

"10 points from Slytherin for that language Mr. Snape," McGonagall replied with a twinkle in her eyes. Severus remained unamused.

"Haha, hilarious," he observed dryly. "You realize you just took actual points from that House?"

"Slytherin is quite ahead this year, they will be fine," Minerva remarked nonchalantly, handing him the vial, "Drink, Severus."

Snape had no doubt, that this one was not a request either, so he drank the potion, instantly feeling his anger and irritation numbing down. McGonagall didn't say anything and simply sat on the armchair opposite him.

"You saw that?" Severus asked after a while.

"The last bits. I assume the young Potter expressed his disagreement with your views on his bedtime?"

"That is a very diplomatic way of putting it. He went from pleading to whining, shouting and stomping his feet within seconds," Severus recounted shaking his head in disbelief, "I have no idea what got into him."

"Nothing got into him, Severus. He is 6, he had a temper tantrum," Minerva replied calmly.

"He's never done it before," Snape objected. "He never argues, and I hardly ever have to tell him anything twice, he always obeyed me before. Something must have happened," he reckoned, rubbing his forehead.

"What happened is Harry finally getting comfortable enough to act his age."

Severus frowned at McGonagall. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Harry could never afford to throw a fit before. But with you, he feels safe enough to act out," she explained giving Snape a meaningful look, "You should consider it a win."

"Oh you mean I took this perfectly well-behaved kid and turned it into this whiny stomping banshee in a week? Gee, good thing you placed the child in MY care, I'm obviously a natural!" Snape spat sarcastically and Minerva chuckled at his outburst.

"Harry is testing boundaries, I'm sure you will have no problem setting them."

"I thought I did!" Severus spat in exasperation, "I told him, I expect nothing but perfect obedience from him!"

Minerva shook her head, the twinkle returning to her eyes. "Then perhaps you ought to lower your expectations a bit. He is not a robot, Severus."

"Well, neither am I!"

Minerva raised an eyebrow as if surprised the younger man would even try to find excuses for himself but before she could open her mouth, he raised a hand to stop her. "Don't say anything... I know I'm an adult and I should know better," he took the words out of her mouth, "He caught me off-guard and I got so angry, that he would decide to throw a fit in such a public setting."

"Well, next time you will be better prepared."

Snape grumbled something unflattering under his breath, but it didn't affect McGonagall's good mood in the least. "He is a child Severus, I'm sure he didn't mean what he said. He is probably already regretting his words," she told him, wearing a small reassuring smile. It was actually rather surprising that Minerva chose to be so understanding, instead of biting his head off for losing his cool with the Boy Who Lived.

As if on cue they heard a soft knock on the door and McGonagall called, "Come in."

The door opened and Kathryn's head peeked through, "Professor, can we come in?" she asked, casting a soft smile in Snape's direction. After Minerva's nod, she stepped in, dragging a small ball of misery behind her. Harry was red-faced and still sniffling softly as he rubbed his eyes with his little fists, the gesture so cute, that Snape almost forgot why he was mad at the kid, to begin with.

"Professor, Harry wants to tell you something," Kathryn told Severus as they approached him, "Go on," she nudged the boy in front of her gently.

Even if the boy didn't say anything, Snape forgave him the moment he saw how regretful the child looked. Kathryn probably had to go through several stages of "please don't send me back" and knowing Harry, Severus will probably have to go through that as well.

Harry unglued his eyes off the floor and looked at the man fully expecting to see the angry face from earlier, but his guardian just looked sad if anything, and that was just so much worse!

"I'm sooorryyy," the boy wailed, breaking into heavy sobs again. He didn't dare to reach out for a hug, despite desperately wanting to. But he was _so so bad_! He was sure he didn't deserve one.

Good thing that Severus didn't share that sentiment. His anger long forgotten, he immediately grabbed the child and sat him on his knee wrapping his hands around him. And Snape would probably hate appearing so gooey in from of McGonagall and Riley if he actually cared about their opinion at the moment. Which he didn't. He wanted to apologize to Harry as well but knew that it would send the boy the wrong message, so he just settled on offering comfort to the distressed child, rubbing his back and whispering gentle reassurances, instead.

Kathryn wished she had a camera to take a picture. She has never seen Snape with such tender expression on his face. She couldn't help but wish he looked at her the same way - his features soft and almost affectionate. Well, she was totally turned on by his usual no-nonsense dominant demeanor, but this other side of him was just so endearing. And if they were together, then perhaps she would also see a glimpse of this side of him directed at her?

Unfortunately, Severus proved to be way more resistant to her charms, than most of the boys she went out with. She was sure, that he liked her - on a biological level anyway, but he just stubbornly refused to act on it, no matter how much she teased him. Being used to always get what she wants, it felt rather frustrating... though not discouraging, if anything it made her even more determined. Well, on Friday there will be the long-awaited ball dedicated to the 1000th Hogwarts Anniversary, and she very much intended to at least share a dance with the elusive man. At least.

Harry calmed down after a couple of minutes and yawned fiercely.

"Well, young man, it's definitely bedtime now," Severus remarked allowing some of the sternness return to his voice.

The boy nodded casting his guardian a guilty look. "Are you still angry with me?" he muttered biting his lip nervously.

"No Harry, I'm not," Severus reassured the boy keeping his tone firm, "But you are still absolutely in trouble." Harry nodded with a pitiful sniffle, while Kathryn stared at him pleadingly. _No! I will not be manipulated by anyone! Just no! And stop looking so sad for the boy. He totally deserves to be punished! _Snape glanced at Minerva for support and cringed. _ Not you too!_

Severus cleared his throat to sound more official, "10 points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter," he announced gravely, putting Harry and both women in shock. Snape kept his gaze on the boy, though he thoroughly enjoyed imagining the dumbfound expressions of McGonagall and Riley. "That's right, Harry. You got your favorite House in trouble with your disobedience. You should properly apologize to them tomorrow. And while I'm sure, they will forgive you, I suggest you refrain from repeating your earlier behavior if you don't want to lose Gryffindor any more points," he concluded sternly.

Harry dropped his eyes on his lap miserably and Severus stole a glance at Minerva, who still looked quite appalled by his actions. _Oh, you thought, only you can do that? Well, suck it up, woman, I'm a teacher too. _Severus smirked at her, raising an eyebrow daring her to object. Which, of course, she didn't.

* * *

_TBC_


	9. The Ball

_Author's note: Reached 100 follows, yay^^ Thank you for all the support to this story, guys!_

_Warning: SMUT incoming! Only took me 9 chapters to finally get to the sexy bits, hehe._

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

The week went as well (or as bad) as one could have expected with all the preparations and "hype" for the upcoming Ball. It was as if studying simply stopped to matter, especially studying for Potions. Severus snapped at students to keep quiet at least ten times a lesson and the work they delivered was either sloppy... or just none. It's safe to say that at least three people each lesson left the class with an additional punishment essay. Severus already dreaded going through them as they started to pile up - to the point that he pretended not to notice most of the misbehavior that went on, just to save himself some sanity.

Snape didn't care about the Ball at the start, he knew it was coming even before taking the job, but by Wednesday he already despised the event. The universal overexcitement and giddiness were annoying when it came to students and was just utterly dreadful when it came to staff members. I mean just imagine Minerva McGonagall humming a tune while doing a barely plausible chaînés across the hall. You can't? Well, so couldn't Severus till he saw it with his own eyes. And Minerva was among the more down to Earth ones, so you can guess the horror that the rest of the staff was.

Severus also knew in advance that he will, unfortunately, have to be present, therefore he bought the suits for both himself and Harry during their shopping trip. The last time he wore a suit was for Potters' funeral, which he attended under the safety of obscurity charms and only went to pay his goodbyes when everyone left. He never wanted to use that suit again, so he had to buy himself a new one.

Black was his go-to color, black suit, black tie, black shoes... and he would purchase a black t-shirt too if the shop assistant didn't force "at least a grey one" on him. Harry's suit was very much in style like his except the boy looked "adorable" in it, or at least that's what everyone kept saying, so it must have been so.

Harry was swept along by the ongoing atmosphere in the castle. He tried on his suit several times that week and even asked Snape to teach him to dance...

Well, let's just say it was the last straw and before the kid had the chance to find a safe hideout he received a very big and very undeserved tongue lashing. The incident resulted in triple pudding serving, an extended bedtime and an actual bedtime story from Snape, so in the end, the boy felt quite vindicated.

Other than that one unfortunate slip-up, Harry was on his best behavior. Severus wasn't sure whether it meant that Potter _didn't feel safe enough to act his age _anymore, didn't want to lose Gryffindor more points, or simply didn't want to displease his guardian. He decided not to dwell on the boy's motivations and just enjoy it while it lasted.

Harry seemed to be quite excited about his new school and supposedly even made a friend. Severus was, of course, more focused on the academic side of things, but nevertheless, he was happy that the boy managed to form connections with children his age, too. Snape picked the school for wizarding children so that Harry didn't feel the necessity to suppress his magic anymore. Of course, it came with the level of attention that might have been not entirely welcomed by the shy child, but since he already had all that in Hogwarts, the boy got accustomed to his fame fairly quickly.

...

Despite Harry's gentle probing, that '_it was probably time'_ and that '_they sh__ould be going, right?'_, Severus managed to delay the inevitable for a good half an hour before finally caving and taking the child to the Great Hall, where the Ball had already started. They could hear the dance tunes of modern music all the way down to the Dungeons, and Harry was practically bouncing off walls all the way up.

The entry to the Great Hall was decorated with 4 House crests, each shaped into a number, together forming the presumed Hogwarts age - 1000 years. The truth was, nobody actually knew the exact date the castle was founded or whether it became a school right away after it was built. The date was set based on convenience rather than actual research, and now in times of peace, it was a convenient time to celebrate the birthday of the oldest School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Europe.

Severus tried to force his expression into a more amiable one as they entered the Great Hall aka _the Great ridiculously pompous Ballroom. _He squinted his eyes to adjust to the unnecessary loud lighting, compared to the dim cozy candlelight of the rest of the castle. He instinctively glanced in the direction of the staff table, except it wasn't there anymore.

Snape felt lost, he didn't know where to go or what to do. He knew what he WANTED to do (run!) but that was obviously not an option. Thankfully they were spotted by McGonagall, who looked surprisingly feminine in her green velvet dress.

"Severus, Harry, I saved you a seat," she effused, her cheeks flushed from dancing. She dragged them to one of the tables and Severus was glad for her thoughtfulness, because there were very little vacant seats left.

People weren't meant to be sitting, they were meant to be dancing and Severus had no intention of doing that. At least he could use Harry as his protective shield - taking care of the child was a good excuse not to dance, right?

Wrong.

Because the said child wanted to dance and apparently chose Severus as a dance partner. Harry jumped around to the beat trying to get Snape in the mood. He looked so happy and carefree, that he did get a genuine smile out of a grumpy man, but it was all he got really. So giving up Harry sat back down, looking at the people dancing with a longful expression on his face.

As much as Severus didn't want to participate on the dance floor, he found himself enjoying watching others indulge themselves. His gaze traveled to his favorite redhead minx. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a sparkly lavender dress that hugged her delicate figure and complimented her in all the right places, the high slit of the dress offering a delicious sneak peek to her naked upper thigh.

Kathryn's hair was styled in rich waves that fell loosely on her shoulders and her beautiful features were emphasized by a strong evening makeup. But the most enchanting was her demeanor. She was thoroughly enjoying the music, moving clumsily to the rhythm completely oblivious that she was missing most of the beat. She might have been a rather bad dancer, but she made up for it with her vivacious attitude.

She caught his gaze and held it. Since Severus was already caught "red-handed" staring at her, he was not gonna embarrass himself by quickly averting his gaze or _god forbid blushing_, as he always did. It was Kathryn who blushed instead and the rosy flush on her cheeks looked so damn good on her. She cast him a shy smile, instinctively fixing her hair in a nervous movement and Severus smirked at his ability to make her fidgety by simply maintaining the eye-contact.

However, her nervousness was shortlived, she went directly to the DJ and told him something with a flirtatious smile and then grabbed Nymphadora and whispered something in her ear, at which the girl smiled and then nodded.

Severus had a distinct hunch, that Riley's plan somehow involved him and he was proved right when within two minutes Charlie Weasley accompanied by Tonks came to ask permission to take Harry. Severus was not strong enough to fight the boy's (by now quite professional) sad puppy look and so he was forced to let go of his "dance protection". As if on cue the music changed to a slow tune and the dancefloor started filling up with couples. When Kathryn approached his table he was not even surprised anymore.

The girl flashed a warm smile to the whole table and then turned to McGonagall of all people, "Professor, would you mind if I borrowed Professor Snape for a dance?" she asked her sweetly. Snape wasn't sure whether he should be flattered, amused or offended, that the audacious girl didn't actually ask HIM.

"Oh, of course, Miss Riley. I think if it weren't for you, Professor Snape would root into the chair soon," Minerva answered glancing teasingly at Severus and receiving an annoyed glare in response. Of course, Severus couldn't very well say "No" now. He stood up offering his arm to the redhead and led her to the dance floor.

"Miss Riley, humor me, how exactly did you end up in Gryffindor?" Severus queried as he spun her around wrapping a hand around her waist and pressing her against him firmly.

Kathryn giggled, "You think I belong with snakes?"

"You certainly act like one."

"Maybe if you were more approachable I wouldn't have to," she replied pursing her lips in a cute pout.

Severus shook his head, "I'm a Professor, Kathryn, I can't be playing games with you."

"So you HAVE been reading my messages," she smirked victoriously.

Snape rolled his eyes feeling stupid for inadvertently admitting it. "Yes, your coding caught my interest."

"What about the content?" she inquired, fluttering her lashes with a meaningful look.

He turned his head unwilling to reply.

"I know you want me..."

"Excuse me?!" he retorted unimpressed at her audacity.

"What are you so afraid of?" she pressed.

"Riley, you are forgetting yourself," Severus hissed, his tone no longer friendly, but stern and dominant.

Kathryn decided to ignore the warning. "I thought Death Eaters are braver than that."

Snape's blood turned cold, he stopped dancing and just stared at her, "What did you just say?"

"You heard me," she taunted with attitude.

Severus let go of her, turned on the heel and walked out of the Hall swiftly. _How did she know?!_ It was hardly a public thing, Dumbledore made sure of that! Was she just seeking a thrill? Was a Death Eater something _cool and exciting _to her?

Snape went straight to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water, a tremble of anger running through him. Why did he get so worked up? Why should he even care that Kathryn knew his dark past?

Well except her being a literal doppelganger to the only woman he ever loved, who abandoned him for that very reason...

Severus heard somebody walk in and by the soft sound of the heeled footsteps, he could already guess that the girl followed him. _For fuck's sake, can't she take a fucking hint?! _Refusing to turn his head Severus groaned with irritation as he heard the door close with a privacy charm.

A gentle hand grabbed his sleeve. "Sev, I'm sorry. That was..." he didn't let her finish. His nickname used with such nonchalant familiarity threw him over the edge...

In one fast movement, Severus turned and bodily slammed Kathryn against the wall. The girl winced in pain her eyes widening in surprise. She pressed against him and he pinned her hands above her head in a tight punishing grip.

"You just don't know when to fucking stop, do you, Riley?" he hissed, towering over her with an angry menacing presence.

Her breath caught up, eyes snapping to his, face twisting in fear. "I..." she croaked.

"You think taunting a Death Eater is smart, you stupid girl?" Severus growled tightening the grip on her wrists with one hand while placing the other against her throat, "Do you want to know, what spells Death Eaters use on Muggle-borns like you?" He could hear Kathryn's ragged panicked breathing, she opened her mouth, yet no sound came out. Taking sadistic pleasure in her fear Severus forwent all propriety. "But I don't even have to use spells, all I have to do is squeeze my hand..." he threatened, tightening his fingers around her delicate throat, not enough to cut out the air intake, but enough to have her heart rate jump off the charts.

There it was. Submission. He knew he will enjoy putting Kathryn in her place. But the girl's gaze betrayed more than just fear, her eyes were flashing with unmistakable desire. She licked her dry lips, the simple act laced with such erotism that Severus forgot his original intention, which was to scare her. He watched her lush lips, momentarily mesmerized by her silent invitation, as his own need took over his resolve.

His mouth stretching in a satisfied smirk Snape spun Kathryn around to face the wall while keeping his possessive grip on her throat. He took a step back placing both her hands on the wall. "Keep them on the wall," he whispered in her ear, it was a command, but the atmosphere changed, the air electrifying with sexual power exchange. Kathryn obeyed without question. Severus then ran his hand against her back applying gentle yet firm pressure, bending her over slowly.

His hand still on her throat, he could feel her nervous gulp, as he traced his fingers over her ass, so deliciously presented for his discipline.

**SMACK!**

Kathryn felt the first punishing blow land on her upturned bottom. She jerked slightly, more from surprise rather than pain, but kept her hands on the wall. Before she could process what actually happened, a second slap fell right next to the first one, sending a jolt of arousal through her. She exhaled and then caught her breath again as Severus picked up the pace slapping her butt.

After a dozen spanks Kathryn let out a whimper... or was it a moan? She wasn't sure. She heard a soft chuckle against her ear but kept her eyes on the tiles of the wall, too afraid to look anywhere else.

"Let's get this out of the way." Snape's voice, so low and husky, worked like a spell on her. Kat felt panic mix with anticipation as he grabbed the hem of her dress pulling it up over her hips, revealing the round globes of her tush. Oh, she dreamed this scenario so many times over the course of past weeks, but this was very real. And so much scarier than in her fantasies.

"How nice," Severus mused appreciatively, running a hand over her warm skin in a gentle caress, sending a shiver up her spine. Kathryn stifled a whine of protest when he took his hand away, but she was soon _rewarded_ with another smack. And that one actually hurt.

"Ow," she mewled, raising herself on the tiptoes and arching her back involuntarily. Snape tightened his grip around her throat tilting her head backward while putting her back into position with his other hand.

"None of that, little girl. You keep your position and take your punishment," he hummed against her ear, his tone firm yet teasing. He rubbed her cheek, taking some of the sting away and she moaned with need.

Severus slapped her butt a couple more times, eliciting more whimpers that turned to desperate purrs as he kept kneading her punished flesh in between spanks.

"Naughty naughty Kat, you are not supposed to be enjoying this," he commented with amusement, touching the wet stain on her burgundy panties.

"Ooh," Kathryn gasped when she felt Snape's fingers graze her private parts. Severus grabbed her panties and pulled them further up, revealing more of her butt, the wedgie applying delicious pressure against her swollen sex. Everything felt so surreal, so scary... and so incredibly hot.

"Perhaps I should spank you harder and punish you 'properly' just like you wanted," he breathed seductively in her ear, making her pussy clench with arousal.

_Oh yes! I mean no. Oh God! _Kathryn had a hard time pulling her thoughts together.

Severus then upped the tempo and strength of the smacks, each spank resonating in the empty bathroom, the pain mixing with building pleasure. Kathryn arched her back like a cat pushing her butt to meet his palm, hoping he will touch her _there_ again and dreading it at the same time because she would surely fall to pieces if he did.

"Please," she groaned, clenching her hands in fists with need.

"Please what, little girl?" he asked rubbing her butt, his hand so close and yet so far from where she wanted him.

Kathryn stuck her butt further, hoping desperately that he will somehow decipher how close she was to.. to... "Please, Sir... I need..."

Severus was unable to resist the needy girl whose pussy was so lusciously dripping with juices. He placed his hand on her swollen sex and before he could even do anything the tremble run through her, her muscles strained, a soft barely audible moan passing her lips in several waves of an unmistakable orgasm.

_Well, that was unexpected... _

Kathryn didn't shout her pleasure, nor trash her body around. She didn't put up a show for him, like some of the Death Eater women Severus was with, did. Her reactions were timid yet genuine... and also premature, since Severus planned on torturing her longer than that. But apparently, he wasn't as good at reading her body responses and the girl didn't exactly ask for permission either. _That can be rectified, _he thought, his smirk turning into a pleased smile.

Snape let go of her, but Kathryn kept standing in position breathing heavily against the wall.

"Are you ok?" he asked just to be sure. He admired his handiwork on her rosy bottom and wanted to run his hand over her hot flesh when suddenly her lack of response struck him.

"Oh God," he breathed out, the panic taking over. He took a step back away from her, the realization of what he just did finally sinking in.

He has just sexually molested a student!

His own arousal gone in seconds, he dropped on a nearby bench and buried hands in his hair completely mortified by his actions. He was pretty sure that _"she was asking for it"_ was the most common excuse any molester gave for sexual abuse. And _"she wanted it"_ or _"she liked it"_ didn't fare much better.

_Hello again, Azkaban!_

What Severus did, was not simply unethical, it was a crime. Even though Kathryn was an adult, he was still in a position of power, and he never got her consent. By all means, he could have imagined all of her signals to serve his own perverted agenda.

Kathryn finally pulled herself together and turned to Severus watching the man go through the several stages of guilt trip. "Don't worry, Professor. I don't kiss and tell," she remarked with a small smile as she approached him.

Severus raised his eyes with a frown, "We didn't exactly _kiss_..." he grumbled. Kathryn's smile stretched and before he knew it, her lips were on his, her hands cradling his face, her body squirming in his lap.

_Molested girl my ass! _Kathryn was simply getting what she wanted, as usual. And Snape would be mildly irritated, except he was too busy enjoying her sweet mouth. And not a little relieved that the girl was in fact alright.

"You know, for someone who claims to be submissive, you take a lot of initiative," Severus remarked, patting her butt playfully.

Kathryn wiggled on his lap with a giggle. "I'm sorry?"

"Liar...I guess I didn't spank you hard enough after all," he chuckled, resting his hand on her bottom feeling the warmth of her cheeks even through the fabric of the dress.

"Yes, you certainly need more practice, _Sir_!" she teased him enunciating the honorific and then with a hearty laugh jumped off his lap and ran from the bathroom back to the Great Hall.

"Oh you... just you wait!" Severus called after her, his tone threatening, yet genuinely amused. He will certainly enjoy addressing her incessant cheek next time.

Oh, and guess what?

The brat left him blue-balled...

AGAIN!

* * *

_TBC_

_There is a beautiful art for this chapter done by a wonderful Kitsuiichan, check her out! Pic is kinda NSFW, so (delete the space - its a short url) and proceed with caution: **hmp. me**_**_/cnfh_**


	10. Again

_Author's note: It's been a while, I know. Gomenasai!_

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

In a pleasantly uplifted mood, Snape left the bathroom 15 minutes after Kathryn. He went back to the Great Hall but was stopped midway, when he heard younger Weasley's voice coming from behind the corner, followed by Tonks' giggling. Severus could already guess what the pair had been up to, and he would be happy to ignore them if they weren't supposed to be taking care of Harry.

Severus turned the corner to the expected sight of snogging teenagers. He cleared his throat watching the two jump away from each other with horror plastered on their faces.

"Weasley, where is Harry?" Snape asked sternly, choosing not to address the scene he just witnessed. He hardly had the moral high ground to lecture them after what he did with Kathryn just now.

The redhead went crimson, shifting from foot to foot. "I... uhm... he was just here, Professor," he stammered glancing around.

Severus immediately lost his good mood. Leave it to Gryffindors to lose the precious Boy Who Lived... again.

"How long since you last saw him?"

"I... I'm not sure, Sir," Charlie replied, visibly unnerved.

Snape cast him an annoyed glare and then turned to Nymphadora, "Tonks?"

The girl shrugged, "I'm sorry Professor, could be 20 minutes or so."

"If I don't find Potter within the next 15 minutes you two are going to spend the whole weekend cleaning cauldrons! I suggest you start looking for him," Severus growled at them and went back to the Great Hall in hopes the boy chose to return to the Ball rather than using the opportunity to roam the castle unsupervised.

However, no one inside has seen Harry and Severus scowled at Kathryn as if it was her fault the boy got lost again. Snape didn't find Harry in the next 15 minutes and not even in the next 30. His irritation growing with every minute, he asked the portraits and paled visibly when they told him that the boy was seen walking in the Third-floor corridor. Without waisting another second Severus bolted there, taking the stairs two at a time.

His heart racing, he proceeded to curse Albus the whole time as he ran. Only Dumbledore would be crazy enough to have a 10-foot three-headed dog in a castle and expect students to be safe. Of course, the entry was protected by spells which should prevent the curious teens from getting anywhere near the canine. Unless... Unless the caretaker forgot to lock the door. And caretaker being Hagrid, such a scenario was very possible. _Fuck!_

When Severus saw that the dreaded door was left open, he felt his heart sink all the way to his stomach. A sickening feeling squeezing his chest, he walked slowly through the door fully expecting to see the mutilated remnants of the child's body. However, the sight he was greeted with still managed to knock the breath out of him.

There was the monstrous dog lying on its back and wiggling its tail furiously. The three huge heads were emitting satisfied yowling noises, wearing absolutely blissful expressions with their tongues stuck out on the side. The culprit of this immense pleasure was none other than the lost Boy Who Lived, who sat on the dog's belly rubbing it with hearty giggles.

Severus stared at the bizarre scene rendered speechless. The chimera only ever acknowledged Hagrid and even he always had to be extra careful. The rest of them, mortals, had to use the magic flute around the dog. And the damn thing was nowhere to be seen!

The dog sniffed his presence and turned one of the heads towards the intruder, a low angry growl freezing Snape in his place. Severus blanched at the sound, for a second forgetting to breathe, as his mind raced through scenarios on how to get the boy unharmed.

"Mr. Snape! I found Fluffy! She likes me!" the child exclaimed happily, beaming at Severus.

_Fluffy?! I'm going to kill Hagrid!_ He took a step back in order not to further antagonize the dog. "Harry, keep petting her and VERY SLOWLY climb down," Severus said, keeping his voice in a quiet pleasant timbre.

"This is fun! Come pet her too!" the boy replied cheerfully, completely ignoring Snape's instructions.

"Harry, come down, please. Do as I say," Snape repeated in the same pleasant tone.

Harry looked at his Guardian with a confused expression. The man never _asked_ him anything, he always ordered. It seemed like he wasn't being serious. Ignoring the small voice in his head telling him to do as he was told, Harry slid down to one of the heads to pet the dog behind the ears. The head started squealing happily while the other two whined with jealousy. Harry laughed mimicking the joyful yowling, and one of the heads barked at him and then gnawed at its neighbor's ear, narrowly missing the child's head in the process!

Severus didn't think it was possible to blanch any further, but he did. Potter couldn't pick a worse moment to start disobeying! He watched the dog's growing agitation with horror thinking frantically how to get the boy out before he became the meal.

"Harry, walk slowly towards me," Severus instructed the child, willing his voice to remain calm despite feeling anything but.

The boy just kept giggling, oblivious to his guardian's distress. "But this is..."

"NOW!" Severus barked sharply, finally managing to get the child's attention. The child's AND Fluffie's_._

All three heads turned to Severus, baring their teeth in a menacing snarl. Harry finally realized that his guardian was not messing around. He climbed down and with the last affectionate pat on the dog's neck made his way towards Snape dejectedly. The dog immediately jumped to its feet and assumed the pouncing position.

The next few seconds went in slow motion. Severus watched Fluffy raise her hackles, 3 pairs of eyes focusing on Severus and just as Harry got within his reach, he grabbed the child and darted out the door, avoiding the crushing clasp of the giant jaws by mere inches. He locked the door with a couple of strong spells, his heart jumping out of his chest, but his hands performing wand movements with meticulous precision.

When the pounding against the door finally subsided, Severus let out a heavy breath and finally set his eyes on the miscreant child. He bent down to check Harry for any signs of injury, but except for smelling like a wet dog, the boy appeared perfectly fine. Severus spun him around and delivered two sharp swats to his bottom.

Harry yelped, the tears welling in his eyes.

"WHAT were you THINKING?!" Snape exploded, landing another crisp smack. His hand froze mid-air when Harry let out a heart-breaking wail and instead of covering his butt or attempting to get away from the punishing spanks, latched himself onto Severus's leg, sobbing loudly into his trousers.

Snape felt like a monster, as he lowered his hand back down, his face twisting in shame for losing his temper. He was no expert in child-rearing but even he knew that you should never punish in anger. The boy probably didn't even understand what did he do wrong. Not that he didn't deserve a couple of well-placed swats after scaring Snape half to death, but Severus should have talked to him first and explained what was he going to be punished for and why.

"I'm sorryyy," the boy cried pitifully, clutching Snape's leg.

Severus sighed, trying to ignore the guilty feeling as he crouched down to Harry's level. "What are you apologizing for?" he asked, keeping his tone stern.

"You are mad," Harry replied, sniffling softly.

"And do you know, why am I mad?"

"Cause I left without telling?"

Severus raised an eyebrow in surprise. It looked like Harry knew exactly what did he do wrong."And why would that make me mad?"

"Cause I'm not supposta _'roam around the castle unsuprised'_."

"Unsupervised," Severus corrected him, resisting an urge to chuckle. "What else did you do wrong?"

"I didn't listen," Harry muttered, hanging his head in shame. The boy was a perfect picture of misery and normally this would be Severus's cue to embrace the kid in a warm hug and reassure him that he was forgiven. However today he felt the need to be firmer than that.

"No, you did not. What have I told you?"

Big fat tears were rolling down Harry's cheeks, "To leave Fluffy and come to you."

"Do you think I said it just to hear myself speak?" Severus cringed internally at that phrase. It was the one his parents liked to use and he always hated it as a child. _Oh, how the mighty have fallen._

"No, Sir."

"Do you have any idea, how much DANGER you were in, boy?!"

Harry's shoulders started shaking with the new wave of sobs and Severus immediately regretted his harsh tone.

_Stop lambasting him, you idiot. It's your fault for not watching him properly, anyway! _He sighed and finally pulled the sniveling kid towards him for a hug. Harry wrapped his little hands around Snape's neck and cried woefully into his suit, apologizing again and again.

"Shh, it's alright Harry, don't cry," Severus hummed, rocking him softly for comfort. Ever since becoming the boy's guardian, one of the biggest revelations for Severus was how much Harry's tears actually affected him. Crying children only ever annoyed him. Well, children, in general, annoyed him, but screaming and crying ones were definitely the worst. And yet whenever Harry showed any sign of distress, it only ever brought an incredibly uneasy feeling to his chest. Some people called it 'compassion' or 'pity', but Severus preferred not to overanalyze it.

This was how Albus, Minerva, and a bunch of students found them.

"Oh thank god, Mr. Potter, you gave all of us quite a scare," McGonagall leveled the child with a stern gaze. Harry hung his head guiltily, grabbing Snape's trousers in a plea for support.

"I'm sure, Harry understood the error of his ways," Severus told her and Harry supported that claim by rubbing his bottom with a super-sad expression. Minerva chuckled, Albus's eyes twinkled and every single student sent Snape a death-glare.

_Oh Right, how could I forget, I'm the bad guy here! Well, it's time to shift the blame!_

"Tonks, Weasley! Detention at 10 tomorrow!" he barked, singling out the culprits among the crowd. The grip on his trousers tightened and Severus switched his attention to the third transgressor, "That's right, Potter. You got your babysitters in trouble. So you are going to be joining them and helping them scrub dirty cauldrons all morning!"

The relief on Tonks' and Weasley's faces was almost offensive. Well, technically he threatened the two with a weekend worth of detentions, so two measly hours on Saturday morning was a definite downgrade. Oh well, at least Harry looked properly devastated to get students in trouble, so at least with him, the lesson should stick.

* * *

#-&-HP-&-#

After the much-needed bath, Snape ordered Harry to go to sleep. Even though the child was promised an extended bedtime due to the Ball, Severus was not going to reward the boy for his misbehavior. Thankfully, Harry didn't argue or even sulk, he only looked at Severus with that terribly pitiful face and dragged his feet to his room.

Snape came in to wish him goodnight 5 minutes later. But the boy still looked so miserable, he didn't have the heart to just switch off the lights and leave, like he usually did. He sat on the bed and pulled the covers up to the boy's neck tucking him in, and then brushed the hair off Harry's forehead gently.

"You had quite an adventure today, young man," he remarked, hoping to lighten the mood.

And achieving the exact opposite. The boy lowered his gaze guiltily as if being scolded, "I'm sorry," he muttered dejectedly.

Severus grimaced, berating himself for failing even the most basic human conduct, but before he could offer the child the words of comfort, Harry spoke again.

"It's just that I never had a pet before..."

Severus frowned, was the brat suggesting he should get a deadly chimera as a pet? "Harry, Fluffy is _very_ dangerous."

Harry gulped and nodded, not meeting Snape's eyes. The child couldn't look any sadder and before Snape had time to analyze his actions, he blurted, "But maybe we could get you a more appropriate pet."

_What the hell am I doing?!_

The bright blissful smile that took over Harry's face was almost worth the blunder Severus just did. Almost.

_Great fucking job not rewarding him for misbehavior. And now I can't take it back anymore. For fuck's sake!_

"But not a fingerless rat or anything like that, right?" the child asked, as if afraid to fall for some kind of trickery.

"A fingerless rat?"

"Charlie's brother Percy got a rat with a missing finger. And it's not that rats are not nice, I mean I would be happy anyway, I just hoped..."

"Potter!" he raised his hand successfully halting the boy's rant, "No fingerless rats for you. We'll get you a proper pet."

"Really?" the boy sat up, looking at Snape with such hopeful pleading stare, it could put Oliver Twist to shame.

_If those eyes went any larger, they'd pop out of his head. Seriously, the boy goes from complete misery to absolute joy in a matter of seconds, _Severus observed grumpily.

"But it will be your responsibility, mind you!" Already as Severus was saying it, he knew he was full of (sh)it, I mean - indulging himself in self-deception. The child was 6, whatever he will choose will likely end up being Snape's responsibility to take care of... Merlin forbid the brat will want an actual dog.

_Oh God, what did I just get myself into?!_

"Yes, yes! I promise!" Harry jumped on the bed excitedly. Severus was about to reprimand him to settle down, but the boy flung himself at him, wrapping his little hands around Snape's neck with a force a 6-year-old was not supposed to possess, nearly choking him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Well... Snape forgot whatever he was about to say and just croaked a strangled, "You're welcome."

He knew he was going to regret this temporary lapse of judgment later, but for now, Harry's genuine unrestrained joy felt completely and utterly worth it.

* * *

_TBC_


End file.
